working on its playing and on getting the fame it deserves. It also means more travelling, recording CDs, touring. For orchestras, penetrating to and remaining among the international top is a vicious circle: you make sure you perform well, that is your base, you then record your CDs and you are invited to play at major concert series abroad. I know the criticism of tours - expensive, pointless - but I believe that they themselves are valuable, for musicians and for listeners. Musicians can present themselves, exchange ideas, and learn about other cultures. Listeners have the opportunity to compare ways of making music." "As a boy in Montreal, I felt miserable because I could never hear an international orchestra. Is it not fantastic that in major cities you can listen to all the world's best performers?"