I remember when we did the Tchaikovsky (concerto), he just flew. We weren’t used to that. But when we do things like that, it makes the orchestra grow.

It’s very visual and has audience appeal.

The ‘Ruslan’ overture — I can’t think of any more dynamic opening for the season than that.

It’s something I heard at a convention in Chicago. David Warble has championed this piece. When we heard we could get him as a conductor, I thought that would be great. I didn’t know George...

That was very successful. It drew a younger crowd, some of whom haven’t seen the symphony before. People say classical music is dying out, but I don’t think that’s the case.