" Leonard Slatkin, I think, said that being a conductor is like being a good driver. You have to understand what sort of vehicle you're driving. There are orchestras that are Maseratis: they are so precise, so tight on the steering, that if you pound on them like you're driving a Mack truck you're going to end up in a ditch. On the other hand, if you drive the Mack truck the way you're driving the Maserati, it's not going to turn. He said the Boston Symphony is a Rolls Royce: very elegant, very stately. The Cleveland Orchestra is a Maserati. They are so quick and exacting in their movements. And he said some orchestras are Mack trucks. There's nothing subtle about them but they get you where you want to go."