Birmingham did a truly remarkable thing in building Symphony Hall, which is the finest concert hall in the U.K. and one of the best in the world. The city has supported music without putting on the brakes.
I'm very proud of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Music is such an important part of society, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra offers such great quality, and we just want to share it.
As for my relationship to Beethoven, I admire people who can say what they really think. It's as though he's saying, 'That's how I feel about the world, and I don't care what people may say.' His music is pure and honest. Beethoven never pretends to be anybody else.
I believe we have a physical body and a soul. It doesn't matter what religion you are, whether or not you believe in God. I think people believe that there is a soul and a body.
I feel too young in 2018 to take over the Berlin Philharmonic as the successor to Simon Rattle.
