I always imagined that to bring an orchestra to play together is not enough for a conductor. Kurt Masur More Quotes by Kurt Masur More Quotes From Kurt Masur If you go to Japan for instance, you should know that they have a different way of playing Beethoven or Brahms. But if you play with them Mozart, Debussy, Mendelssohn, they have a wonderful light feeling for that. Kurt Masur japan light play 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? Kurt Masur new-beginnings new-york people And at the same time, I had my very first concert at the age of 16. I hadn't heard a symphony orchestra before, and I was so deeply impressed I said I have to be a conductor. Kurt Masur orchestra symphony age I believe so, but at first he must know. He must know in which spirit Beethoven has composed this piece. He must try to study that. And he must find out in which station of life of Beethoven he did. Kurt Masur try know life believe And to understand this, I think this is a most important point where I would like always to be understood what we do with the New York Philharmonic. That the meaning of the music is number one. Kurt Masur new understand think music