A biography for Andris Nelsonshasn’t been written yet.
“When I was younger, I wanted very much to play football.”
“I'm very proud of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.”
“I believe we have a physical body and a soul. It doesn't matter what religion you are, whether or not you believe in God. I think people believe that there is a soul and a body.”
“The Boston Symphony is one of the best orchestras in the world and has such a great tradition - which I want to cherish, of course, and to learn from and to continue and to add whatever I can add.”
“If we want to share the message of the composers, to give good things back to humanity, we have to dig deep while we can.”
“Though involvement in music and the arts can't cure all the ills of society, I do believe that the inspiration they provide has the potential to help us reflect, at times, on the better angels of our natures.”
“You must take care of your family, respect the music, and work intensely. Health and family come first, and then you can make much better music.”
“I think music can change your life.”
“As for my relationship to Beethoven, I admire people who can say what they really think. It's as though he's saying, 'That's how I feel about the world, and I don't care what people may say.' His music is pure and honest. Beethoven never pretends to be anybody else.”
“On stage, I'm always nervous, but there is so much adrenalin, too. It's strange because I have to turn my back on the audience, and my audience is the orchestra. I communicate my energy to them, and they communicate it to the audience behind me!”
“I can't say I'd like to concentrate on one particular composer. I'm looking forward to doing a variety.”
“I'm thankful to Deutsche Grammophon, our partners - we are going to record the complete Shostakovich symphonies and hopefully some other things as well.”
“When the oldest surviving record company goes all in on a conductor, everyone notices.”
“As a trumpet player, I was playing Xenakis, Lindberg: very challenging, technical, atonal, and I enjoyed it.”
“I think that, as a person, Beethoven talks to everyone in different ways.”
“You could almost write an opera about the selection of music directors for orchestras. The intrigues are really interesting, and then, at the end, the results are completely unexpected.”
“You don't have to make a grand, exaggerated sound to sing opera.”
“Music is something you can't really put in terms like in a sport, like running or football - that you win if you score more. In music, there's nothing like that.”
“All of us in the field must remain constantly vigilant and fight against all types of inappropriate and hurtful behavior and continue the essential work of creating a fair and safe work environment for all classical musicians.”
“It might be expensive to make music lessons available. But it's even more costly to deal with human beings who have half their intellect and spirit left undeveloped.”