Donald Mitchell talks to Russian conductor Valery Gergiev after a performance of Mahler’s 6th symphony with the Rotterdam Philharmonic in September 2002.
The live interview took place before a live audience in the Doelen. Among the discussion points were Mahler’s influence on other composers, conducting Mahler and other “difficult” composers, which is common now, but musical ideas and colouring are often absent. We need different interpretations, what is human life and experience.