Simon Rattle
There are a few great orchestras in the world, thank goodness. Although some people do put them in ranking order, it's not like a snooker match. Each orchestra has different things to offer.
Every orchestra has its own sound.
There is a mysterious way in which orchestras keep a sense of their history and what they've done. I still listen to the L.A. Philharmonic and feel that Giulini was there.
I believe if you're not completely in love with what you're doing, you'd better find another profession.
I first heard Mahler's second symphony aged 11 in Liverpool, and it inspired me to become a conductor.
My only interest is in sharing great music with more and more people.
I can’t imagine what my school friends must have thought was going on because I was wandering around in some kind of dream. I felt as though my insides had been taken out which is, I now realize, the right feeling.Collection: Dream
If anyone has conducted a Beethoven performance, and then doesn't have to go to an osteopath, then there's something wrong.Collection: Music
Culture and, within culture, music are the best and most fascinating thing that the German capital has to offer internationally. It is putting that at risk.Collection: Risk