Michael Tilson Thomas

In my mind, the conductor is much more like a director in the theater.

It's very clear to me, perhaps because of my family, that the musicians are the ones who are actually doing the playing.

And I am there to help them

focus and clarify what they need to do so that they appear to their very best and feel that freedom and confidence to be their very best because in the process of playing these thousands of notes and there are thousands of notes they're playing in every performance and

They need sometimes help to say, ah, here, make more space for your colleagues over here.

Be more aggressive about this.

Don't be afraid to take the risk to be even quieter here.

The way a director would help the actors to clarify their ensemble.

This is Beethoven's Third Symphony, the one he called Eroica.

It took Beethoven three years to write this piece.

It has taken me nearly 30 years to get my head around it and understand it, feel comfortable with it.

This score is a messy record of all the questions I asked and the answers I searched for.

And time and again along this journey, I asked myself, why is this taking me so long?

Well, part of it, of course, is it's by Beethoven.

And anytime you do a piece by Beethoven, you feel this big weight on your shoulders.

The guy is so great and so famous.

He's not just a composer.

He's a brand.

He's an icon.

He's an industry.