We are a global society, and one does not have to be from Germany to give a great performance of Beethoven.

The life of any musician really doesn't fall into a normal schedule at all. Every week there are different rehearsals, different days and nights of performances, so we don't have a particular pattern that we can follow. For a conductor, it is a little bit worse because we have to allow for traveling.

There's not an orchestra in the world that doesn't have weaknesses. None of us can play everything well. The repertoire is just too big.

Growing up in Hollywood, like I did, I have a passion and a love for the movies, so I go to the cinema all the time.

I use my hands like a sculptor, to mold and shape the sound I want, to clarify.

We need music to restore the human spirit

A music director cannot and should not be chosen on the basis of a first date. It is not so difficult to make a good impression with a single appearance, usually containing some of a conductor's party pieces, works they have performed successfully many times before.