"A director needs to look for that essential balance of music and action. An opera mustn't be overloaded with action. But to create a flexible spectacle, there are many means of expression and, alongside the actions of the actors, there is the mise-en-scène.

"Critics often write that you can see my stage productions are the work of a film director. I think it's funny to read that. I am a theatre director when I work in theatre. I am an opera director when I put on opera. And I am a film director when I am producing a film. But I never allow myself to mix one with the other."

"I've got lots of plans – in film, theatre and opera. There are screenplays that have been written and just as many again that are still being written; there are plays I dream of producing..."