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The great secret is that an orchestra can actually play without a conductor at all. Of course, a great conductor will have a concept and will help them play together and unify them. But there are conductors that actually inhibit the players from playing with each other properly.

I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor.

From time to time, the Vienna Philharmonic could play without a conductor because they are so good.

A conductor can't be too arrogant with an orchestra and try to impose himself too much.

I think it's a very important collaboration between the conductor and the orchestra - especially when the conductor is one more member of the orchestra in the way that you are leading, but also respecting, feeling and building the same way for all the players to understand the music.

I don't feel that the conductor has real power. The orchestra has the power, and every member of it knows instantaneously if you're just beating time.

I think conductors do spend too little time with their orchestras.

The orchestra confides in me about their music director or their conductor, and I've never seen a conductor that's been liked by everyone.

Good conductors know when to let an orchestra lead itself. Ninety percent of what a conductor does comes in the rehearsal - the vision, the structure, the architecture.

Let me say that I've never thought to conduct because the conductor has to think to the music before the orchestra. And the orchestra comes later. For me, it's terrible.