The doyen of music directors, Christoph von Dohnanyi, has this to say to orchestras today -- give the young maestros a chance.

Chrisoph von Dohnanyi says he's been flattered by offers made to him since he left the Cleveland Orchestra. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Featuring: Christoph von Dohnanyi, conductor Program: Bartok's Divertimento for String Orchestra; Haydn's Symphony No. 88; Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, "Pathetique." Where: Heinz Hall, Downtown. When: 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $19-$72; 412-392-4900. Listen In: Two of the works Christoph von Dohnanyi leads the Pittsburgh Symphony in this weekend are included in the commemorative box set, ?Christoph von Dohnanyi and the Cleveland Orchestra?: Haydn?s Symphony No. 88 and Bartok's Divertimento for Strings. Click to hear short clips from each: Haydn, Symphony No. 88 Bartok, Divertimento for Strings

"I think we should trust the young people a little bit more and challenge them a little more," Dohnanyi, 76, says on the eve of a much-anticipated appearance with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in Heinz Hall and then on tour to Carnegie Hall. "But I think it is that the public and especially the orchestras stick a little bit too much to the older generation. It is very important that the young people step in and get chances."

The Berlin-born Dohnanyi's reputation as a skilled conductor with years of experience is surpassed only by his status as a music director. The difference is substantial. Many a talented interpreter can't manage an organization or lacks the vision to keep an orchestra on a productive track. Some artistic geniuses famously self-destruct when put in positions of power. However, Dohnanyi's 20 years as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra were marked by superb music-making, but more importantly, responsible stewardship. He hired 72 musicians over his tenure, a remarkable number, especially since the orchestra maintained its high status in the world during his run.

When he left the Cleveland Orchestra in 2002, Dohnanyi (Doc-NON-yee) found himself in more demand as a music director. "I have been offered quite a few of these openings," he says. One orchestra that expressed interest was the PSO. Dohnanyi was flattered by all the attention, but somewhat surprised that he would be so sought after.

"First of all, I am too old. Second, I have two orchestras to take care of." He leads the Philharmonia Orchestra of London and the NDR Orchestra in Hamburg, where he now lives. "I am happy to come as a guest. But to take a real responsibility especially in the States, which are not the easiest these days, takes too much. There is no way of taking a job. I think there are young people, I think the orchestra should be a little bit more courageous."

Dohnanyi remembers how faith in his abilities was crucial to him in his salad days. In 1953, Georg Solti appointed him conductor at the Frankfurt Opera. And he remembers how he was a relative unknown when he got his first orchestral post, becoming Germany's youngest general music director, at Lubeck in 1957. He thinks that for the health of classical music, the next generation needs the same opportunities.

But this doesn't mean he blames orchestras for the difficulties in finding good music directors in the younger generations. Managers, media and the conductors often get caught up in careerism.

"Young people might be pushed too soon and too rapidly to a so-called international career," he says. "When I grew up, we thought it was a good thing to stay in one place for a little longer and just try to develop something, which finally would pay off." This from a man whose cultural connections would likely have made a quick ascent quite possible. He is the nephew of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, grandson of the composer Erno Dohnanyi, son of a freedom fighter killed by the Nazis, and once married to soprano Anja Silja. Instead, he stayed in smaller positions in Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg, honing his craft.

"You cannot just play an instrument, you also have to tune it," he says.

As was seen in Cleveland, the payoff of a longer stay with one orchestra can be more than just a good rapport between the ensemble and music director. "The orchestras should get music directors, as it used to be, who stick with the orchestra for a while and also care about the community more," he says. Civic pride in the Cleveland Orchestra remains high, and the orchestra continues to be seen as one of the best in the world.

The longer music directors stay in a certain city, the more trust they can build with the orchestra and audience. That faith can lead to a far better environment for introducing new music that the director believes in, which is one reason why Dohnanyi had success bringing contemporary music to Severance Hall.

"I think the history of music is just a continuation, a seamless transition from one time to another," he says. "If you are someone who reads a lot, you read Shakespeare and Arthur Miller. There is a continuation in the history of art, science and literature." Dohnanyi championed Schoenberg, Shostakovich, Henze, Schnittke, Berio and many more over his career.

But he grants it takes a little longer to figure out who the Arthur Millers are in orchestral music. "[While] we can judge now pretty well the first half of the 20th century, the second half of the 20th century, [it is hard] to tell what's really important. We start now to be able to judge a little bit the second half of the 20th century. But the first 50 years are much easier to judge." So there is a measure of hit and miss.

"You just have to play a lot," he says. "You can not always wait for the 'St. Matthew Passion.' [Also,] people today overrate originality. When Goethe wrote his 'Faust' there were about 20 others on the market. That is not what it is all about. The writing is important. We could invent two or more love stories while we are on the telephone, but to write them is difficult. We all know how cars should be built, but there are not so many cars which are good."

Lately, the keys to the Lamborghini of an orchestra here in Pittsburgh have been passed to many a conductor of varying ability. This week, the man behind the wheel will be one of experience.