I then realized that I could never be satisfied again with the mere natural charm of my voice, that I had to constantly paint when singing, melting all the colors, expressing reds and blacks that had to be less primary but bursting with subtly colored combinations.

When I was a young man, I was a baritone, very far from possessing the whole range of the tenor then.

To stay at my best, I have to stop talking during the preceding day.

I have always studied my parts with the orchestral score and not with the piano reduction.

The public made me and then encouraged me for many years, and my future even now depends upon it.

Young singers are much better educated musically, much better informed, through discs and videos, than I was.

On the other hand, I have devoted so much energy to reach the top that I accept the stress of being there.