I would rather have ideas and some difficulties of technique than a perfect technique and no ideas.

I came to Moscow when I was 5 years old from Baku. To walk all night in Moscow will bring back my youth to me.

There is too much emphasis on technical perfection nowadays, and not enough on what music is actually about - irony, joy, human suffering, love.

The cello is a hero because of its register - its tenor voice. It is a masculine instrument, whereas the violin is feminine because of its soprano pitch. When the cello enters in the Dvorak Concerto, it is like a great orator.

I would rather have ideas and some difficulties of technique than a perfect technique and no ideas.

You know creators, composers, need a palette for life, a color for life.

You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart.