Now the first step has to be taken, the step towards democracy. This step is full of risks, and requires trust on all sides. We don't know where it will lead. But if we just stand still, we will have no chance of escaping the violence.

Today, conducting is a question of ego: a lot of people believe they are actually playing the music.

European anti-Semitism goes much further back than to the partition of Palestine and the establishment of Israel in 1948. It even goes further back than the Holocaust.

To have real knowledge, one must understand the essence of things and not only their manifestations.

I can't stand being in Chicago anymore and hearing the Brahms Violin Concerto in the elevator. Because that shows me that when they come to the concert hall they listen to it in the same way.

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

Tradition demands that we not speak poorly of the dead.