If you go to Japan for instance, you should know that they have a different way of playing Beethoven or Brahms. But if you play with them Mozart, Debussy, Mendelssohn, they have a wonderful light feeling for that.

In 2001 Kurt Masur became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music. The critical consensus is that Masur improved the playing of the orchestra compared to his more pliable and forbearing predecessor. His performances draw a wide range of reviews.