Kurt Masur Quotes & Sayings

“As I came to New York, it was for me a new beginning. To discover what people are living here. What do they need, what do they expect, what would they like to be the image and the performance of the New York Philharmonic?”

“What I never overcame is a kind of shyness.”

“Since the composer has said everything, if you discover everything, it will be enough and you will be a happy man. Don't try to say it's your taste, and because of that you are changing this or that. And I must say this respect is still there.”

“Even my family laughed at me because they thought this young guy who's always stuttering in front of other people should be in front of 100 musicians and talk to them and leading them.”

“In South America, I heard the 8th Symphony of Beethoven. And the young conductor thought, Beethoven must be heroic. But this is piece which shouldn't be heroic. And this was such a misunderstanding, such a deep misunderstanding.”

“At the age of 16, something happened with my finger and the doctor told me, you never can be a organist or pianist, so think about what you do with music.”

“An orchestra full of stars can be a disaster.”

“And if you are strong enough, then you can grow as a conductor more and more.”

“I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor.”

“You have to change your mind with every orchestra because every orchestra has a different character.”