Part of my big message with all this is that if you are alive, you know all you need to know about the message of classical music, because more than any other music, it is about the way life really is.
Michael Tilson ThomasIf you're alive, you have all the experience necessary to understand classical music.
Michael Tilson ThomasThank God for movie music. It preserves the rich vocabulary in classical music through challenging times.
Michael Tilson ThomasWhen I first was conducting as guest conductor in Europe 25 years ago, I would propose doing American pieces and grudgingly it would be accepted from time to time.
Michael Tilson ThomasThis extraordinary group has absolutely captivated my imagination, knocked my socks off - what more can I say?
Michael Tilson ThomasPop music, which I deeply admire and wish I could play better than I can, is based on expressing one mood, one feeling at a time. Classical music is by its very nature involved with different kinds of music, constantly transforming one another, which is more akin to the way our experience of life really is.
Michael Tilson Thomas