You know, in some ways conducting is counter-intuitive. It's like winter driving in Finland - if you skid, the natural reaction is to fight with the wheel and jam on the brakes, which is the quickest way to get killed.… — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
I was starting a group of musicians and we had a group of young composers in Finland back in the '70s, and the real conductors, the professional conductors at the time were not interested in our stuff. — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
There is something very special about this part of the world [U.S], which is the openness and the curiosity and the lack of prejudice… — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers,… — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
After 30 years I have realized the greatest pleasure I can get is to have learnt. — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
Anyone who composes and conducts at the same time is immediately suspect, because he must be faking one or the other. — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
I started conducting lessons and I realized that this is actually something I like doing. — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
We need new art. Old art cannot do that. It can do lots of other things, and of course humanity hasn't changed that much… — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
Pulse as an active means of expression, Stravinsky and Beethoven are the two masters of that. — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
The underlying process in Northern music tends to be slower and continuous, whatever's happening on the surface; in Southern music the underlying process is… — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
The Royal Festival Hall in London is nice; people hang out there. I think this inviting, non-exclusive character is very important. — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
As we watch TV or films, there are no organic transitions, only edits. The idea of A becoming B, rather than A jumping to… — Esa-Pekka Salonen Copy Share Image
![“There is something very special about this part of the world [U.S], which is the openness and the curiosity and the lack of prejudice and the lack of generally accepted norms as to what art should be and how an artist's career should go and all that.” quote by Esa-Pekka Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/503/esa-pekka-salonen-8409_accepted_there-is-something-very-special-about-th_45594.jpg)
