Esa-Pekka Salonen

This conducting thing happened. In 1983 I was sucked into this international career, which was a very scary experience. ”

My music wouldn't sound the way it does if I hadn't had the experience of conducting. ”

If the seams are showing, there is something wrong with the performance or the construction of the piece. This idea is completely at odds with our modern visual experience, because everything today is based on montage. ”

In Europe, there is so much tradition, and everyone has established ideas as to what art should be and what it has always been. ”

The sound was my greatest concern. There were certain difficulties getting used to the way every musician can hear his or herself, the way each of them relates to the musician in the next seat. ”

This continuity of sound and form was something that I became really interested in from working with Ligeti. He was always going on about how form has to be continuous. ”

The act of conducting in itself, of waving my arms in the air and being in charge, I didn't miss. I missed the sensual pleasure of being in contact with music. ”

With American orchestras, in particular, because they play in such huge halls, getting a true pianissimo is very hard. ”

I'm still disturbed if a chord isn't together, but your priorities change as you get older. ”

There will have to be times when I'm not conducting because I'm composing. I haven't solved that problem, and perhaps I never will. ”