Principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra from 1998 to 2003 and musical director of Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2007, he was appointed Conductor Laureate by the Philharmonia Orchestra (2000), by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and by the NHK Symphony Orchestra. From 2009 to 2013 he was principal conductor of and artistic adviser to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He maintains regular contact with the Cleveland Orchestra (of which he was principal guest conductor), the San Francisco Symphony, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Berlin (principal conductor and musical director 1988–96). From 2000 to 2015 he was musical director of the European Union Youth Orchestra. Since September 2013 he has been principal guest conductor of the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana.
