Erich Leinsdorf

“Basically, I am a classicist. I am not a romantic. I am a 20th-century classicist.”

“A good conductor ought to be a good chauffeur; the qualities are the same. He has to have a clear idea of the destination and how to get there.”

“The first rehearsal is for the orchestra, the second for the conductor, and the third for the music.”

“The great conductors are for the concert halls, but the composers are for eternity.”

“To be a conductor one must be a tyrant, but a nice one.”

“The art of interpretation is not to play what is written.”

“One must not be afraid of being unpopular.”

“The public will always respond to something that is alive and vital.”

“I am not interested in a 'Leinsdorf sound.' I am interested in the composer's sound.”