DW: You're very much a person of ideas. How has it been to take over the Beethovenfest in a year when most things were determined by your predecessor?

Nike Wagner: It was very interesting for me to see how a festival is organized by somebody else. Of course, it's always similar, a festival, but the Beethoven Festival is much bigger than the one I led in Weimar. So I had to get used to some of the rites - taking care of sponsors, greeting and meeting, toasts and receptions. It has a lot to do with communication and promotion. That can be exciting and enjoyable too.

The Beethovenfest Bonn has become something of a cross-section of the world of classical music. Should it be that way?

It should be more than a cross-section. I think the Beethoven Festival deserves to have a very thought-out program. And why? Because Beethoven is played throughout the world, we have to try to come up with something specific to honor him - such as setting his music more specifically in relationship to other contexts - either from his own time or afterwards, up to the present. The Beethoven connection to other music should be clearly audible. With him, that isn't difficult - even contemporary composers continue to paraphrase him. It's also nice to serve up a "different" Beethoven by playing his music on the instruments of his time. A Hammerklavier is not a Steinway, and it's fun to listen to the (almost) authentic Beethoven sound.

Leif Ove Andsnes combined Beethoven, Stravinsky and a bit of Schönberg…It's always good to confront the "old" with the "modern." But tell me: what does Stravinsky have to do with Beethoven? Those two composers are far apart in music history and in their ideas. The neoclassical Stravinsky has absolutely nothing to do with Beethoven. I found that a bit strange. Schönberg, on the other hand, gave musical instruction on the basis of Beethoven.

Audiences sometimes do have a hard time finding the connection - why is this at a Beethoven festival? Would you like to make that connection clearer?

Absolutely, and it's so easy with Beethoven because the whole symphonic history of the 19th century is in reference to this one composer. Not only Hector Berlioz, a great Beethoven admirer, should be played a lot more.

Let me mention two conductors whose work we heard this year: Andris Nelsons and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Despite their very different personalities, what do these two names say to you about the current classical music scene?

I'm a great admirer of Andris Nelsons and Yannick Nézet-Séguin! They're about the same generation, they're energetic, have fresh and very devoted minds. And they don't put on any pretentions. Quite the opposite: both approach music in a more existential way.I think it was very exciting to hear Andris Nelsons with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which he has led for the past seven years. They are so remarkably fine-tuned together, so that he can play out his corporeal language and spread energy.

I heard Yannick Nezet-Seguin with Mahler's Sixth - magnificent! He brought out the heterogeneous character of the piece and Mahler's individuality very convincingly. It wasn't a Romantic, heavy Mahler, but a transparent, very vivid one.

Do you think the city of Bonn is adequately exploiting the fact that Beethoven was born here?

At least they're beginning to. They should have begun in 1845 when Franz Liszt came here and nearly forced the populace to properly celebrate the 75th anniversary of the birth of their most famous son. Liszt paid for the Beethoven statue and had the first Beethoven Hall built - of wood. It had to be torn down after the first festival concerts because it was a fire hazard. In the course of time, I would say they neglected Beethoven. Especially after the Second World War, Bonn was a politically defined city.

Now that most of the government is situated in Berlin, Bonn has been looking for a new identity. So Beethoven was rediscovered as a cultural label, as a good image. The kind of Beethoven marketing now going on will intensify in the coming years.

Can you give us a sneak preview of what audiences might be able to expect next year?

Yes, but before I do that, I'd like to mention that although Germany considered a "nation of culture," it's become almost impossible to independently shape a festival. Public funding is getting harder to come by, and the American system, based on commercial sponsors, is growing in importance here. Corporate sponsorship is always an uncertain thing however, and a commitment of support can also be withdrawn. At the same time, festival organizers have to attract stars long in advance. So that's the first hitch. A festival has to meet other demands too, such as educational projects.

But, onwards nonetheless ....

Next year, my motto will be "Changes" - derived from the title of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations. We'll have a big Diabelli project, enabling us to finally hear the Diabelli variations written by all the other composers who, like Beethoven, took up the challenge of writing variations on Diabelli's theme: Schubert for example, Franz Liszt and Archduke Rudolph.

So "Changes" means "Variations." Almost all the orchestras I've invited will have orchestral variations in their programs, even the Staatskapelle Berlin under Daniel Barenboim in the opening concert. And the Budapest Festival Orchestra with Ivan Fischer will include works with variations at their concert. The connection will also be clear in chamber music concerts, such as with the wonderful piano duo of Yaara Tal and Andreas Groethuysen. They have a program of variations, and so does cellist Sol Gabetta, with Beethoven.

I'll also introduce contemporary dance into the program. So as not to frighten the Bonners, I've chosen projects that are based on classical music, especially variations, like Bach's Goldberg Variations, or works by Beethoven.

Our campus project in cooperation with Deutsche Welle will also see some changes. Rather than having a full youth orchestra travel to Bonn, we'll invite a Chinese woman composer to live here in Bonn and write a new work of music that will then be premiered by the German National Youth Orchestra.