once i conducted sir algar�*s enigma variation with the london philharmonic orchestra and the london yal festival hall, and there was some mockery of who is this guy coming and conducting one of our most noble symphony orchestras? but some of them, actually, the kinder person said that your conducting is a strange style. he may have been trained in the soviet union or in paris, and naming all difference conductors names, but i had no reason to correct them whatsoever. i didn't know what is the normal way to conduct, so i created my own style. but you know, the world of classic music, some say you know, it's quite elitist. and there you are, no formal music training, and yet, you have the confidence to stand before these orchestras, the london symphony orchestra, the royal philharmonic orchestra and conduct. i mean, how did you achieve that? you know, the failures that i have experienced after the recordings, and the agony that i've felt, no one could see those. they could only see my conducting because the work that goes into conducting an orchestra, it is long before you are on stage

training, and yet, you have the confidence to stand before these orchestras, the london symphony orchestra, the royal philharmonicmean, how did you achieve that? you know, the failures that i have experienced after the recordings, and the agony that i've felt, no—one could see those. they could only see my conducting because the work that goes into conducting an orchestra, it is long before you are on stage. a great deal of preparation, a great deal of study. listening, and listening and listening and finding the movement when the particular section comes in or not. those are the agonising times. but when you are on stage, it's too late. everything is there. you put your hands together and hope that it will work ok. but it seems it has. but itjust shows you that somebody who arrives with nothing, really, in the 1970s to the uk as a refugee, you know, you have made this major contribution. so when you look at the debates that richer countries have today, like the one we are having here in the uk about, you know, how tough laws should be for asylum—seekers or refugees. how do you remind people that in this debate,