The rest of my family are obsessed by 'The X Factor:' I'm intrigued by it, although its musical values are far away from mine, like a cup of tea with 400 lumps of sugar in it. There's something very strange about Simon Cowell's lips, isn't there? Charles Hazlewood cowellcupfactor share on social
In America, they have this nauseating habit of calling the conductor 'maestro'. I always slightly gag when the cor anglais player goes, 'Maestro, can I discuss bar 19 with you?' Charles Hazlewood americaanglaisbar Change image and share on social
People like Aphex Twin, Jason Pierce, Jarvis Cocker and William Orbit are actively showing their interest in a wider field of music. Jarvis and I met on a benefit for an extraordinary man called LaMonte Young, the father of minimalism, who worked with John Cale and shared a loft with Yoko Ono. Charles Hazlewood activelyaphexcale share on social
Music is about communication, and the chemistry between an audience and the orchestra is absolutely essential; the performance does not exist in a bubble. Charles Hazlewood absolutelyaudiencebubble Change image and share on social
It's Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony I'm really looking forward to. Simon Rattle does it perfectly: he understands its primal rhythmic life force, and he and the wonderful Berliners make it a sheer riot of orchestral colour. Charles Hazlewood berlinercolourforce share on social
I love the way Monteverdi's opera embodies the triumph of evil love in such a luscious way. The closing love duet is just pure amoral, liquid passion. The Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment sound great in the Albert Hall, and the Glyndebourne cast is fabulous. Charles Hazlewood agealbertamoral share on social
Parallels between classical and pop are not new. The whole San Francisco movement of John Cage and Terry Riley went hand in glove with what the Velvet Underground were doing. Charles Hazlewood cageclassicalfrancisco Change image and share on social
There's always blood on the carpet when I play Beethoven at the piano. I hate playing the piano! And it's so hard to fight for Beethoven's soul! But that's what I have to do! Charles Hazlewood beethovenbloodcarpet Change image and share on social
I'd like to explode a few myths about what we call classical music. It's not high art for the titillation of a chosen few. Charles Hazlewood artcallchoose Change image and share on social
A hundred years ago, concerts were far more come-what-may - people played cards, drank beer and appreciated the music. If we go some way towards restoring that spirit, I'll be happy. Charles Hazlewood agoappreciatebeer Change image and share on social