"conducting is really staggering from one humiliation to the next"

There's a truly fascinating interview with the elusive Sir Colin Davis in The National, a prelude to the LSO's forthcoming visit to Abu Dhabi.

It finds him most forthcoming on the subject of knitting: “You’re not allowed to knit on aeroplanes. You might stab the stewardess with your needles. It’s a bit ridiculous” but there are musical insights too: “I don’t care about the sophistication or silly things like audiences clapping between movements. That’s all right. If they enjoy it, that’s what we’re there for.”

And he reveals how he sees himself: “It’s not a bad image to think of oneself as a donkey. I like donkeys.”

Comments

[Hannah]

What a great article! I really enjoyed that- thank you.