Kaleidoscope - John Matheson

All his professional career he has aimed as high as it is possible.

– New Zealand opera singer Donald McIntyre

...the highlight of highlights of course, was Callas. We had a...I have a couple of handfuls of great singers whom I remember the immense experience of working with — but Callas is a level all to herself. She was quite a unique creature...a great genius, and there will never be another one.

– Conductor John Matheson on working with renowned opera star Maria Callas, early in this documentary

Singers are nearly always trained by musicians, on the one hand, or old singers on the other hand, and neither of those two groups of people are much concerned with the language, which the singers of course also don't care about, and sing any old funny noises in the world. What that means in effect is that they cut down their ability to communicate with an audience, because what they're singing is nonsense...

– John Matheson on how he emphasises getting the language of each opera "right", early in this documentary

John has a very forthright manner. He can be quite sarcastic at times and I don't think he means to be sarcastic. I've learnt that over the years that I've known him, that sometimes he thinks he's making a joke and...it's not a joke at all, it isn't very funny to the person that's receiving it, and once or twice he's been extremely hard on me at productions that we've been doing. And I just said to him "you've got the talent and the ability that I need for my languages, and for coaching my roles, and if I need them we're going to have to get on".

– Dame Malvina Major cuts to the chase about John Matheson

...as a young man you are the victim of course, because the conductor is the natural enemy of the orchestra and young men are always taken down as many pegs as possible...you're put through the mill as a young conductor; it's a survival business.

– John Matheson on the tough professional environment of classical music

I suppose you could argue that, but how soon is too soon? when after three years ... doing a lot of hard work in one direction or another, one has got absolutely nowhere — nil, nothing. It's the relentless conservatism of the New Zealand way of life, the New Zealand way of thinking, which comes from the government, there's really no one who is strongly interested in the arts.

– John Matheson is asked if he demanded too much too soon, while trying to start a new opera company in Auckland