I just thought that in this place, discussing a book written together with a Palestinian, it shows lack of sensitivity,

Music is very abstract. When we talk about music, we're not discussing the music itself but rather how we react to it.

I am the conductor for life of the Staatskapelle in Berlin, which fills me with tremendous joy because I feel absolutely at one with them. When we play, I have a feeling that together we manage to create one collective lung for the whole orchestra so that everybody in the stage breathes the music in the same way.

Playing and listening to music gives you a sense of fulfilment because you have to put everything in you at its disposal.

You used to queue for three days and two nights for tickets for Rubinstein. People stayed in the queue for the whole day.

My point of view is very simple. I think war is no option. Trying to play the same note at the same time, with the same loudness, with the same color, with the same amount of joy, everything the same ... this is a fantastic affair.