This conducting thing happened. In 1983 I was sucked into this international career, which was a very scary experience.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
In Europe, there is so much tradition, and everyone has established ideas as to what art should be and what it has always been.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
Los Angeles is just a more open place. The way L.A. functions is that people give you a forum. They say, Show us what you can do.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
I can't imagine how many first performances I've done, perhaps 500. Some of them have been very good, and some of course very bad.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
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.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
The Royal Festival Hall in London is nice; people hang out there. I think this inviting, non-exclusive character is very important.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
As we watch TV or films, there are no organic transitions, only edits. The idea of A becoming B, rather than A jumping to B, has become foreign.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
The players never think they project enough. In a hall that seats 3,300 people, it's a very scary thing to play so quietly that you can barely hear yourself.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
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.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
I discovered that the people of the North are different and there's no way you can make a person from the North similar to a Southerner. They're two different worlds.
quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen
Added by Lucian Velea
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!