I first heard Mahler's second symphony aged 11 in Liverpool, and it inspired me to become a conductor.

I'd be much more likely to watch the latest Tarantino movie than to listen to a Mahler symphony.

The music lovers of London and the country deserve to have something where orchestras can flourish. You have no idea how wonderful an orchestra like the London Symphony Orchestra can sound in a great concert hall.

And at the same time, I had my very first concert at the age of 16. I hadn't heard a symphony orchestra before, and I was so deeply impressed I said I have to be a conductor.

The director is a bit analogous to the conductor of a symphony orchestra. It's a collaborative adventure.

Nobody has Francis Bacon on their walls in their house - or very few people - but sometimes people listen to Beethoven as though it was background and a comfort, and I think that is very dangerous.