I don't really think about retiring. I will retire just before people start saying, 'I knew Leonard Slatkin when he conducted well.
Leonard SlatkinOn the corner of 57th and 7th Avenue sits the most famous concert hall in the world. No less a figure than when Tchaikovsky led the first performances in 1891. Virtually every major artist has performed there. There is simply no place like it. The first time I stepped foot in Carnegie Hall was in 1964.
Leonard SlatkinAn orchestra knows during the first two minutes of the first rehearsal whether or not they are going to enjoy the person on the podium.
Leonard Slatkin