I sometimes feel it is to my disadvantage that I have not conducted the Cleveland Orchestra or the Boston or Chicago symphonies, but then I have had to sacrifice something in order to have enough time with my orchestras.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I think conductors do spend too little time with their orchestras.
When facing symphonic orchestras which have played some works five thousands times, you have nothing to do.
I always try not to overload my music with orchestration and to use only those instruments that are absolutely necessary.
I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor.
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.
I went to study some orchestration stuff because I got so inspired working with all the orchestras.
The symphonies are the things that, as a soloist, I've not gotten to play. I used to travel the world playing concertos, and then I would sit and listen to the symphony.
The problem is, when you're working with orchestras, you only get the orchestra for about two hours before the performance to pull it all together, and that doesn't sound like a real collaboration.
I also work with the regular orchestras in Munich, Germany and other similar orchestras.
I've been lucky to conduct the very best orchestras in the world: New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Berlin, the London Philharmonic.