It´s time for the summer holidays and our man and his family are having theirs in lovely Spain, in Galicia – to be precise.
But that doesn’t mean that he goes incomunicado for the rest of the planet. He agreed to a short interview in a winery near the place he is staying and, because he doesn´t put on any airs, he arrives in style:
He arrives to our meeting with his six year-old and his three year-old. He carries a beach-ball under his arm and walks without any solemnity [...] he smiles and asks for five minutes to leave the children under the care of their older brother back at the hotel. He warns: ”I can ask him to babysit only for an hour, then I have to babysit.”
And so, after leaving the kiddies with their big brother -Sasha? Elliot?- he arranges the setting of the interview, dismantling the plans of the journalist:
Come with me, I know a wonderful wine shop just around the corner..
As we already know, our man has good taste and he is willing to try new things.. this time, the novelty it’s a fine wine and in the very spanish setting of the wine shop, he talks a little bit about his home country – in a very controversial situation, now-a-days: media scandals and violent public riots… however, he insists: a musician should never talk about politics.
Cue to his favorite subject: the Berliner Philharmoniker:
He is the one in charge of seeing that 128 geniuses of 25 different nationalities think in the same direction. Hard, isn’t it? “Specially that they believe that it’s their idea, jajaja… On top of that, suddenly I can see them change of direction at the same time, like a flock of birds. And that is the best thing. Surprise is the basis for an ideal performance.”
The conductor of a flock of birds...
But it’s not all about birds and pretty surprises. He confesses that some of his musicians do not care about contemporary art and that their lack of curiosity makes difficult to propose contemporary repertoire. As for the debacle with the Salzburg Festival, he doesn’t beat around the bushes: if there is no constant support, then the Berliners have nothing to do there.
And the conversation goes on, in the easy relaxed way that he’s got and we know and love… so, if you want to know more, polish your spanish and go clicketty click right here.
