In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on formalism. There was a bulletin board in the Moscow Conservatory. They posted the decree, which said Shostakovichs compositions and Prokofievs were no longer to be played.

People are craving this great progress in electronics, going after computers, the Internet, etc. It's a giant progress technologically. But they must have a balance of soul, a balance for human beauty. That means art has an important role.

All my life I wanted to play music with love to every member of the audience.

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.

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

When I started learning the cello, I fell in love with the instrument because it seemed like a voice - my voice.

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.