For those looking for a little taste of what to look forward to with the arrival of Gerard Mortier as City Opera's next director, WNYC's Katherine Lanpher hosted a 90 minute segment with him during their recent Must Have's Festival, in which he offered his thoughts on music and played selections by Ligeti, Messiaen, Coltrane, Jacques Brel and Billy Holiday. Some notable quotes:

"All singing is beautiful, not just classical. There is only good music and bad music."

"Avant-garde means you are in the front. Every masterpiece was avant-garde."

"If you ran your business today the same way you did 20 years ago, you would be out of business. Why is opera any different?"

"Regardless of the kind of day you've had, horrible or marvelous, after a night at the opera, you will leave feeling better about yourself, about everything."

Go here to listen to the full show.