I think that I need to learn a lot, a lot.

For me, Venezuela is very important, not just because it's a place I go to conduct, but because my family is there - my wife, my parents and my musical family.

A friend gave me a CD of the 'Pathetique' Symphony as a Christmas present. I went home, and I put on the CD expecting to listen to Tchaikovsky. But it started 'ta ta ta taaa.' It was too long for me. I didn't understand it at first, but then I fell in love, in love, in love.

Los Angeles is a very special city. It's a great ethnic mix, a great cultural mix.

I love to read different books on completely different subjects at the same time. I cannot focus on one. I read a few pages of literature, then I jump to philosophy and at the same time I'm reading biographies of Mahler.

In my imagination yes, I remember, when I was six years old, I was conducting all this concert in my house. But now it's real.

I think that I need to learn a lot, a lot.