Last summer, back home in Wales after completing his 16-year term in Raleigh, he suffered what turned out to be a three-day stroke that severely impaired the use of his right arm and leg. After a month’s hospitalization and six months of physical therapy, though he can’t hold a baton, he is back working with the Orchestre national de Bretagne, his ensemble in Rennes, France. “The irony of my situation is that I can conduct Beethoven symphonies but I can’t get out of bed. I can’t tie my shoelaces.” – BBC
