From 1878 to 1880 he was conductor in Hanover, but had to leave after a quarrel with a tenor. In 1880 he went to Meiningen where he conducted the orchestra, making it one of the best orchestras in Germany. He made the players perform from memory. He often conducted the music of Johannes Brahms. He thought about every detail of the pieces he conducted. He liked to have two pianos on the stage so that he could face the audience or have his back to them, whichever he wanted.