“... with the purpose of serving the idea of the creator”
«[...] The conductor of an orchestra is the only one who is a spiritual leader and is at the same time dictating his wish in the moment of creation. That certainly gives him the sensation of being a god, and that is why many conductors have gone to that sin of allowing themselves such a terrible thought. And the tragic part of this pleasure is that their dictatorship is ephemeral and very little is left after their death, probably nothing but a few pale reproductions on discs are left of their creation, which by the way is not even their own. They always revive somebody else's ideas, and they enjoy the voluptuous pleasure the moment the real creator, the composer, if he is good, enjoys eternity.
»Really, I have seen this God-like picture, and believe me, it is a deplorable and ridiculous situation, to the point of obscuring the artistic contribution.
»As far as my attitude is concerned, I simply believe that I am one of this ensemble of players, who undertakes the difficult task of studying the whole work putting it together, watching the traffic, and helping each one through explanation, giving freedom to each individual to play his part according to a certain pattern but still allowing his individuality, if he has one, to come through. Therefore, it does not even occur to me that there is a question or a problem of dictatorship. It is simply a problem of collaboration and one has only to use the necessary psychology and understanding to make this collaboration possible with so many human beings, that is with so many human minds, and all that with the utmost unselfishness and humility and with the purpose of serving the idea of the creator, and I agree that although the reward is an extremely happy, voluptuous and highly spiritual intercourse, yet it is short, like any intercourse».
[Από επιστολή του Μητρόπουλου στην Katy Katsoyanis, New York, 1953.03.24: Dimitri Mitropoulos – A Correspondence with Laty Katsoyanis, 1930-1960, (New York, ...), s. ...]