Conductor

“I always shake my troops very violently to just obtain what I want. I want passion, I want emotion in this music, and it’s possible. Lully really offers a fantastic frame for performance, so you have to just find the space for the performer and feel it.”

“I think it is very important that we are indeed having, what I call in Zen Buddhism, the beginner’s mind that you are actually open to whatever comes in front of you, and you are ready to encounter a person, or a message, or what that entity be, and just try to really dive into what it radiates, or what it is without prejudice.”

“I think every conductor must tell a story, every orchestra must try to, at least, create a situation where you can imagine a story, and narrative when you’re listening to the music.”

“It has to do with development. These musical worlds depend on one another. I think it’s like a river through time and I want to see all of it, as much as possible of this, of musical history and work on it. “

“You always are part of the group, and you have to be a small part of the group, the others are more important than you. That’s all very tricky, and you only can manage to do it right if you listen to the others, and if you all do it together.”

“The conductor has the big task to take this project on the paper, and to put it alive today. To me, the best way to go for the conducting is to have done a serious study, because in this way, when you approach a score, you have the chance and the possibility to discover every detail. “

“For me, to conduct le grand opéra is a hard job. But now, for more than 10 years, I do more than 40 recordings of French romantic music, just to show you how I like this repertoire. It’s my passion so, it’s not easy, but for me, it’s a pleasure.”