Welcome to a curated collection of insightful quotes by Esa-Pekka Salonen, a prominent Finnish conductor and composer whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of classical music. With a career spanning decades, Salonen has become renowned for his innovative approach to conducting and his compositions that push the boundaries of traditional orchestral music.
As the former Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the current Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor for London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, Salonen’s influence extends globally, captivating audiences with his dynamic interpretations and unwavering commitment to artistic excellence. His visionary leadership has not only shaped the direction of contemporary orchestral performances but has also inspired generations of musicians and music enthusiasts alike.
Below, you will find a selection of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s most thought-provoking and inspiring quotes. Whether you’re an aspiring musician, a devoted listener, or simply someone who appreciates the power of music, these quotes offer invaluable insights into the mind of a true musical luminary.
My music wouldn’t sound the way it does if I hadn’t had the experience of conducting. Esa-Pekka Salonen
The act of conducting in itself, of waving my arms in the air and being in charge, I didn’t miss. I missed the sensual pleasure of being in contact with music. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Los Angeles is just a more open place. The way L.A. functions is that people give you a forum. They say, Show us what you can do. Esa-Pekka Salonen
The sound was my greatest concern. There were certain difficulties getting used to the way every musician can hear his or herself, the way each of them relates to the musician in the next seat. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I discovered that the people of the North are different and there’s no way you can make a person from the North similar to a Southerner. They’re two different worlds. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I’ve learned a lot from the masters of orchestration, like Ravel and Stravinsky. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Stravinsky is masterly: his harmony is conceived so precisely that it can only be the way it is. Esa-Pekka Salonen
There is such a suspicion in today’s world of people who do more than one thing, who aren’t specialized. Esa-Pekka Salonen
After working with Ligeti I began to hear Brahms and Beethoven differently. Esa-Pekka Salonen
The music I turn out these days is the kind of music I want to hear myself. Esa-Pekka Salonen
This continuity of sound and form was something that I became really interested in from working with Ligeti. He was always going on about how form has to be continuous. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I always had, deep down, a slight aversion toward the purely cerebral in music. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I love a visceral sound, the kind that hits you in the belly. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Once you get over the first hill, there is always a new, higher one lurking, of course. Esa-Pekka Salonen
This conducting thing happened. In 1983 I was sucked into this international career, which was a very scary experience. Esa-Pekka Salonen
The underlying process in Northern music tends to be slower and continuous, whatever’s happening on the surface; in Southern music the underlying process is always faster. Esa-Pekka Salonen
As we watch TV or films, there are no organic transitions, only edits. The idea of A becoming B, rather than A jumping to B, has become foreign. Esa-Pekka Salonen
If the seams are showing, there is something wrong with the performance or the construction of the piece. This idea is completely at odds with our modern visual experience, because everything today is based on montage. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I don’t believe in an annual dose of film music for the sake of it being film music. If we program film music, it will be because there is a real artistic reason for doing so. Esa-Pekka Salonen
In Europe, there is so much tradition, and everyone has established ideas as to what art should be and what it has always been. Esa-Pekka Salonen
When we’re at the end of The Rite of Spring or of a Bruckner symphony, I want people to feel the music physically. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Orchestras have become used to the emphasis on the separation of layers, of the ultimate precision and clarity. Esa-Pekka Salonen
The Royal Festival Hall in London is nice; people hang out there. I think this inviting, non-exclusive character is very important. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Anyone who composes and conducts at the same time is immediately suspect, because he must be faking one or the other. Esa-Pekka Salonen
This country, and the West Coast, especially, is bad at preserving any cultural legacy. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Pulse as an active means of expression, Stravinsky and Beethoven are the two masters of that. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I’m still disturbed if a chord isn’t together, but your priorities change as you get older. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Music has just as much to do with movement and body as it does soul and intellect. Esa-Pekka Salonen
There will have to be times when I’m not conducting because I’m composing. I haven’t solved that problem, and perhaps I never will. Esa-Pekka Salonen
With American orchestras, in particular, because they play in such huge halls, getting a true pianissimo is very hard. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I feel very free and very happy to be a composer. Esa-Pekka Salonen
Every day we make more progress toward understanding the concert hall. Esa-Pekka Salonen
The players never think they project enough. In a hall that seats 3,300 people, it’s a very scary thing to play so quietly that you can barely hear yourself. Esa-Pekka Salonen
There is more openness in LA to possibilities than on the East Coast of America. There is a pioneering spirit there that stems from the reason people went out there in the first place-to find something new. Esa-Pekka Salonen
In the range of music that we play – roughly 300 years’ worth-there really are more similarities than differences. Esa-Pekka Salonen
I can’t imagine how many first performances I’ve done, perhaps 500. Some of them have been very good, and some of course very bad. Esa-Pekka Salonen
The Northern idea of form is more of a process. The various units of the form overlap. You can’t tell where some things stop and new things start. This is typical of Sibelius. Esa-Pekka Salonen
