DC: Marco, what are conductors for these days?
MR: Every conductor will have different ideas about this. My aim is to show the audience how wonderful a particular piece of music is, which means one of the many facets of the job is to help and inspire musicians to give of their best, to bring the dots on the page to life in ways that will, hopefully, be true to its composer's ideals and leave audiences feeling exhilarated.
DC: Yet some people still feel intimidated at the thought of going to a classical music concert.
MR: I think, in the past, some people in the music business have been guilty of making audiences feel that they were very lucky to be there and that they had to behave themselves and dress in certain ways. But the fact is, classical music is for everyone. It’s just too good to be reserved for a select few. There are no rules or regulations and there should be no pretensions about going to concerts. The main thing is to come and enjoy the live experience, and wear what you like – I certainly don't care!
DC: But don't you need to know all about the music to be able to enjoy it?
MR: Well, you don’t need to know exactly how the offside rule works in football to enjoy the game. Music is the same. Let me put it another way. I don't know which is more exciting - to hear a performance of Beethoven's Fifth knowing and loving it, or to hear it for the first time. Sometimes, I really envy first-time concert-goers.
DC: How would you attract those people into your musical world?
MR: Unless we in the classical music business get out there and sell it imaginatively to new as well as existing audiences, then the industry is going to dry up. There's not much point in performing unless you've got an audience. That's why I like to be involved with projects that will break down barriers, both real and perceived, to bring in new people and continually stimulate existing music lovers. Concerts have to be promoted as wonderful, exciting events - which they are - rather than the stiff, formal affairs that they are often perceived as being.
DC: Some people might take a lot of convincing about that.
MR: Not necessarily. Cooking, gardening and DIY were once seen as minority interests, but now they are incredibly popular. Why? Because somebody saw the potential in the product and had the courage and imagination to present them to a modern audience.
DC: Are we talking about "dumbing down" and "Your 100 Favourite Arias"?
MR: Now you're being a snob! If you mean by "dumbing down" more presentations like the three tenors doing Nessun Dorma at the World Cup, then great, let's carry on dumbing down! That was a brilliant success. It captured the imagination of a mass audience - many of whom would never have heard of Puccini, let alone Nessun Dorma before.
DC: What is you own favourite music?
MR: What a difficult question to ask a conductor! My tastes are very varied. I have a very large repertoire and love conducting just about anything from Mozart to John Williams. But if you were to put a gun to my head, I would have to say that I couldn't live without English music in particular, and Romantic and 20th century in general. However, ask me again next week and the answer could be entirely different!
DC: Finally, Marco, I bet you probably spend all your spare time going to concerts.
MR: Not as much as you might think. I'm terribly uncomfortable as an audience member. I'd much rather be up there doing it – and most conductors would say the same.
