This past week I received the Goethe-Medaille, an official decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany, honoring services for the German language and for international cultural relations. The two other esteemed awardees this year were the Polish theatre manager and festival director Krystyna Meissner and my close friend, the late Belgian opera director Gerard Mortier. Former awardees included Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Bourdieu, Agnés Heller, György Ligeti, Ariane Mnouchkine, Billy Wilder and Helen Wolff.
I was very touched by Thomas Oberender's laudatory speech, which can be found here (in German). Thank you to the Goethe-Institut for this exceptional honor.
