I'm not shy in the spotlight. I might seem austere and even arrogant, but far from it, I'm actually shy.

You have to channel the interpretation and performance into 100 people. And with the audience, the critics.

Soccer and sports are entertainment ... You can't call Beethoven's 9th Symphony or a work of Shakespeare `entertainment.' It's not `entertainment.' It's culture.

You have to be able to enthral and persuade at the same time.

It is extraordinary to have time to again study Le nozze di Figaro and discover new things.

Music does not know the difference between people; it only speaks to their hearts. It is the only form of communication that can bring this terrible world together.

The conductor's stand is not a continent of power, but rather an island of solitude.