1. What is the first piece of music you remember?
My first violin teacher was a member of the Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra and he used to give me tickets for their concerts; I was 10 when I went with my father for the first time to one of them, and I remember they played Bruckner's 5th symphony; from the first moment I fell in love with the sound of the orchestra and I still have fond memories from that first concert, although I must admit, as a 10-year-old boy was a quite long and hard first musical experience.
2. What is your favorite dish? Favorite writer? Favorite movie? Favorite place in the world?
I always thought my favorite dish was pizza, but when I moved to Germany I began to appreciate and terribly miss the spanish cuisine.
Favorite writer?
I try to read as much as my free time allows me, and I find very difficult to name just one favorite writer, but maybe Ken Follett could be one of them, I have read many of his books, and I enjoyed every one of them.
Favorite movie?
Again, choosing just one movie is a quite hard thing, but when I saw "La vita è bella" (Life is beautiful), it left a very strong impression on me.
Favorite place in the world?
I have visited many beautiful places so far, and I hope to visit many more of them in the future, but to be honest, every time I go home to Mallorca I feel something special; it is perhaps this calm, typical of the Mediterranean, the food, the sun, the sea... whatever it is, I find the nickname Mallorca has always had, "the Island of Calm", very appropriate.
3. Do you practice any sorts of sport?
I try to do as much as I can. I used to play football very often, but now unfortunately it has become much less; another sport I enjoy very much practicing is tennis.
4. What is your preferred way to relax?
It depends on the moment, for me sport is the easiest and fastest way to disconnect from the normal day, full of music and things to do. But whenever I can, I take myself a couple of days off and go somewhere without music, scores, internet, mobile phone... where I can just walk, read and do nothing else.
5. If you weren’t a conductor, what would you be?
When I was a child I wanted to be a Real Madrid player, but then came the music and it absorbed me in a way that I never thought again of doing something different in my life.
6. Do you have an idol?
I guess as a conductor one has always idols, and of course I am no exception on that; I even believe it is a good thing to have them. But leaving the music aside, probably my only idols are those anonymous people that work hard every day and live honestly trying to make feel good the people around them.
7. What are your strengths and weaknesses as a conductor?
I think my capacity of concentration and giving at the same time the calm and energy that every piece needs would be part of my strengths; regarding the weaknesses, I would say that I am very perfectionist and also a bit pig-headed.
8. Do you have any special techniques to make you focus? Which?
Specially before a concert, I try to concentrate on something that relaxes me and I breathe deeply.
9. What can make you happy?
Many and very different things can make me happy, and definitely winning the Malko Competition would be one of them.
10. hat ringtone does your mobile phone have?
A very normal and boring one.