Leonard Slatkin Quotes

There are two types of conductors. One is the good conductor who can do passionate music but also listen to the singers and do the orchestra. And then there are great conductors, who have their own opinion on the music, who are ruling everything - and not listening much to the singers, but the orchestra play amazingly.

The orchestra confides in me about their music director or their conductor, and I've never seen a conductor that's been liked by everyone.

You really only understand whether a song's good or not when you properly play it out in public for the first time.

Being a director or a conductor is a balance of many things. And to do it right is a very difficult tightrope to walk. I've come to the conclusion that there's really no way to be one hundred percent popular as conductor.

I approach everything as chamber music. Even with Beethoven symphonies, I lead from the violin and basically encourage the orchestra to think of it as a giant string quartet.

I feel that the critic and music director should have such a good relationship they can pick up the phone and call each other any time.

I mean, the great secret is that an orchestra can actually play without a conductor at all. Of course, a great conductor will have a concept and will help them play together and unify them.

I think it's a very important collaboration between the conductor and the orchestra - especially when the conductor is one more member of the orchestra in the way that you are leading, but also respecting, feeling and building the same way for all the players to understand the music.

I'm having a blast being the music director at the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. It certainly is challenging for me, but I love challenges.

I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor.

For me, the conductor is a person who interprets along with me, and we interpret things together.

We sort of quickly realized every rhythm, Opetaia [Foa'i] takes the lead.

Music is the most important thing. I'm thinking of my future. There has to be something new, and I want to be part of it. I want to lead an orchestra with excellent musicians. I want to play music which draws pictures of the world and its space

It's taken folk a while to come around, hasn't it? Even the boys in the band weren't too sure about the whole art thing. They just wanted me to concentrate on the music. But they respect it now.

I've always been that way. I'm not very good at reading music but I'm pretty quick at picking things up.

For me, the music dictates the melody. Give me a riff to sing over, you know?

We felt like, first and foremost, we were songwriters.

I say if you can find somebody you can make music with, that's a special thing, so you should try to keep it going.

We grew up with musicians coming over jamming. We had tons of instruments. So holidays were always like, 50 people would come over, and there would be a jam session with everyone playing jazz.

We just want to be a band and play good music.

Conducting is way over my head.

Armaan has a simple approach and understands what a composer wants. I tell him, 'Give the song your own vibe but I will still come and fight with you and change it.'

I have a great band from Jersey and New York. I say that because they got great attitude, and we have a great time on stage.

A bad audition is usually the director's fault, not the actor's. It's up to the director to get the atmosphere right to get the best out of your auditionees.

It's easier to collaborate with instrumentalists than singers; they know exactly the sound that I need.