I have the greatest respect for the survivors of the Holocaust. We can't even imagine what these people went through.

Israel's strategy cannot be to constantly confront the Palestinians with the history of the Holocaust, but instead to show them that Israel is a reality.

Wagner exploited all forms of expression at a composer's disposal - harmony, dynamics, orchestration - to the extreme. His music is highly emotional, and at the same time Wagner has extraordinary control over the effect he achieves.

You can't expect someone born into a family with no music...to understand when I'm conducting the Schönberg Variations.

When playing music, it is possible to achieve a unique sense of peace.

But the ear, let us not forget, starts operating on the forty-fifth day of the pregnancy of a woman. Seven and a half months advance over the eye...(but) what do we do in our society, in our civilisation, to continue this process?

Not only has the eyes taken over, but we have anaesthetised the ears through all the muzak that we hear all the time.