DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE COMPOSER?

MY FAVOURITE COMPOSER IS ALWAYS THE AUTHOR OF THE SCORE IN FRONT OF ME.

ARE THERE ANY COMPOSERS YOU FEEL ARE UNDERRATED?

QUITE A FEW. THE WORK OF EMMERICH KÁLMÁN IS WONDERFUL, BRILLIANTLY ORCHESTRATED MUSIC, WHICH HAS SADLY FALLEN OUT OF FASHION. THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR THE WORKS OF FRANZ LEHÁR. AND THERE ARE MANY COMPOSERS OF SO CALLED “SERIOUS MUSIC” WHO ARE UNFAIRLY OVERLOOKED—PEOPLE LIKE MAX REGER, HANS PFITZNER, FERRUCCIO BUSONI AND FRANZ LISZT.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE SENSATION OF CONDUCTING. IS IT AN ENTHRALLING EXPERIENCE?

“ENTHRALLING” IS PERHAPS NOT QUITE THE RIGHT WORD. I WOULD RATHER DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE AS CHALLENGING. AS A CONDUCTOR, YOU AIM TO RECONCILE YOUR OWN DEMANDS WITH THOSE OF THE ORCHESTRA AND THE AUDIENCE. WHETHER YOU