Michael Tilson Thomas: "music is in flux"

6 June 2013, 10:44 | Updated: 6 June 2013, 10:50

Classic FM's John Suchet chats to the director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra about his relationship with London and the future of concerts.

As music director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the London Symphony and ringleader of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas is one of the most important conductors of his generation.

We thought we'd grab him while he was passing through London (on his way to Madrid, before returning next week to conduct the great Yo-Yo Ma) and talk to him about his attraction to  London, the future of concerts and a little bit of Beethoven, commenting that the way people engage with live music is "in flux".

See John Suchet's interview with the great man above, and a little Beethoven-related extra  below, where the two experts chat about Daniel Steibelt, the composer that may have inspired Beethoven's Symphony No. 3.