"A first-class orchestra," Dutch conductor Hubert Soudant says when asked about his first impression of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (TSO), where he has been music director since Sept. 2004.
"It was a happy story that began in the 1990s. Little by little, we started to get to know each other," says Soudant, describing his relationship with the TSO in a way that sounds like a love story.
The orchestra last year performed 173 concerts, which is roughly double the average for an orchestra in Europe — a fact that Soudant finds impressive.