Daniel Harding in conversation with Sarah Willis (23 min.)

When Daniel Harding performed Hector Berlioz’s dramatic symphony Roméo et Juliette with the Berliner Philharmoniker in September 2019, the English conductor’s second career was about to literally ʻtake offʼ: after years of training, he had successfully applied for a job as a pilot of passenger aircraft. Speaking to Philharmoniker horn player Sarah Willis, Harding explains how the tasks of the pilot and the conductor are similar and where the key differences lie. Another topic of the conversation is the Shakespeare setting of the musical visionary Hector Berlioz, which to this day has lost none of its radicalism or fascination.