Charles Dutoit is one of the few guiding forces in French music. He brings a touch of romanticism to an otherwise modern view of conducting. The music of Debussy and Ravel are served the best in his hands and experience as a ballet conductor give Dutoit an avenue into Russian music. While April and May saw his resignation and the bitter end of a twenty-four-year career with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, he continues to direct the NHK Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo and the French National Orchestra. Dutoit also appears frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra.