Quote

My first strong musical memory is of the Villa-Lobos Sixth Quartet which my parents were rehearsing. I remember that it reminded me of big teddy bears dancing around.

Leonard Slatkin

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Leonard Slatkin
Age: 80
Born: 1944
Born: September 1
Composer
Conductor
Music Pedagogue
LA
California
Leonard Edward Slatkin
Around
Musical
Quartet
Remember
Memory
Villa
Firsts
Bears
Quartets
First
Parents
Rehearsing
Memories
Teddy
Parent
Sixth
Bigs
Reminded
Strong
Dancing

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I'm not particularly lucid after a concert. I'm not very lucid before, either.
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I have been long associated with British music. I have favoured it as my alternate music next to American.
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I don't really think about retiring. I will retire just before people start saying, 'I knew Leonard Slatkin when he conducted well.
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The conductor is the artistic leader and sometimes cultural arbiter of his or her community. It is their leadership that is looked to and should anything go wrong, they are the persons taking most of the heat.
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I'm beginning to see that just knowing the piece is not enough. Having a clear technique is not enough. Having a broad repertory is not enough. I want desperately to get past all those things.
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How could a New Yorker possibly take something called the Hollywood String Quartet seriously?
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I'll know I'm reaching the total American market when I'm asked to do a video for MTV.
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I knew I could never match my father as a violinist, and there were already four generations of outstanding cellists in the family.
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I am usually cooking at least four times a week if I am home. The easiest thing that I do a lot is gazpacho. It's simple and it tastes best if you let it sit over night in the refrigerator... I don't want anybody near me when I am cooking. If I am going to make a mistake, it has to be my fault.
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In some ways I believe music is the more convincing communicator of ideas than words. For instance, we can hear of Kordaly and Bartok and recognise them as Hungarian, but very few of us speak Hungarian, but the music itself speaks to more people.
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We need music to restore the human spirit
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There's not an orchestra in the world that doesn't have weaknesses. None of us can play everything well. The repertoire is just too big.
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A music director cannot and should not be chosen on the basis of a first date. It is not so difficult to make a good impression with a single appearance, usually containing some of a conductor's party pieces, works they have performed successfully many times before.
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People know Detroit for the cars, but the suburban areas of the city are really beautiful. It's much more inhabitable than people think. Many believe it's like Berlin at the end of World War II.
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I use my hands like a sculptor, to mold and shape the sound I want, to clarify.
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Over the years it has been my privilege to lead performances with Saint Louis, the National Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and so many other wonderful organizations.
Leonard Slatkin