Giacomo Meyerbeer is like a teacher for me. I open up his scores with the utmost respect. I have to allocate my energy well to begin with his work, it takes incredible concentration. Meyerbeer is not like a best friend to me, whom I would go get a beer with: that's Rossini, whose music speaks to the child in me. Meyerbeer, on the other hand, I could never even talk to like a friend!

He was the perfect immigrant. Born Jakob Meyer Beer in the Margraviate of Brandenburg, he went to Italy, and it is fascinating how quickly he adapted to his surroundings. He thus touches on a very topical subject: how does one integrate as an outsider? In Italy he learned bel canto, the virtuosic warbling as an expression of extreme emotions, and became one of the best in the genre. More Italian than the Italians! In Paris as well: he wrote the best grand operas of his time, set standards and became a true Frenchman. Other composers did not have this adaptability. Meyerbeer really dove into other cultures.