Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers, supporting new ideas, supporting new ways of getting the message across.

There's so much energy exchange [in conduction], so you get back a lot, of course, but you also have to give a lot. It's kind of high-energy thing.

I think we are in the process of getting the word out, and we haven't done very well yet. But we are trying.

The sort of commercial parameters of classical music changed after the [World War II] , and the whole industry became more backward-looking.

With American orchestras, in particular, because they play in such huge halls, getting a true pianissimo is very hard.

Stravinsky is masterly: his harmony is conceived so precisely that it can only be the way it is.

I'm still disturbed if a chord isn't together, but your priorities change as you get older.