Love Quote by Lorin Maazel

Maazel is doing something conductors rarely admit out loud: selling feeling as labor, not as mystery. “I infuse the music with a new passion” frames interpretation like an active ingredient he’s adding to an existing score. It’s a claim of authorship without saying “I’m the author,” the classic maestro move: make the orchestra sound inevitable, then quietly take the credit for inevitability.

The love metaphor isn’t just sentiment; it’s strategy. By declaring he’s “in love with the New York Philharmonic,” Maazel collapses the professional hierarchy into romance, where intensity is proof of authenticity. It’s also a subtle reframing of power. Falling in love sounds mutual, consensual, even accidental. “The chemistry has just been right” implies a shared spark rather than a top-down regime of rehearsal notes and control. For an institution where musicians can be skeptical of any new music director’s ego, “chemistry” is a disarming way to say: we’re aligned, you can trust this.

“Beyond expectation” is the closer, and it’s doing PR-grade work. It flatters the orchestra (you exceeded what even I expected), it flatters the audience (you’re witnessing something rare), and it protects him (if the results are uneven, the story is still one of daring and emotional risk). In context, a high-profile post like the Philharmonic is always a negotiation between tradition and renewal. Maazel’s intent is clear: to brand his tenure as a palpable emotional upgrade, not a mere change in tempos or repertoire.