My Father, Good Or Bad, Mistakes Or

I Was Born Very, Very Lazy And I Don't Always Practice Very Long. But I Must Say, In My Defense, That It Is Not So Good, In A Musical Way, To Overpractice. When You Do, The Music Seems To Come Out Of Your Pocket. If You Play With A Feeling Of 'oh, I Know This,' You Play Without That Little Drop Of Fresh Blood That Is Necessary – And The Audience Feels It.

What Good Are Vitamins? Eat A Lobster, Eat A Pound Of Caviar - Live! If You Are In Love With A Beautiful Blonde With An Empty Face And No Brains At All, Don't Be Afraid. Marry Her! Live!

...stories About [the German Composer Johannes] Brahms's Rudeness And Wit Amused Me In Particular. For Instance, I Loved The One About How A Great Wine Connoisseur Invited The Composer To Dinner. 'this Is The Brahms Of My Cellar,' He Said To His Guests, Producing A Dust-covered Bottle And Pouring Some Into The Master's Glass. Brahms Looked First At The Color Of The Wine, Then Sniffed Its Bouquet, Finally Took A Sip, And Put The Glass Down Without Saying A Word. 'don't You Like It?' Asked The Host. 'hmm,' Brahms Muttered. 'better Bring Your Beethoven!'

At Every Concert I Leave A Lot To The Moment. I Must Have The Unexpected, The Unforeseen. I Want To Risk, To Dare. I Want To Be Surprised By What Comes Out. I Want To Enjoy It More Than The Audience. That Way The Music Can Bloom Anew. It's Like Making Love. The Act Is Always The Same, But Each Time It's Different.

Of Course There Is No Formula For Success, Except Perhaps An Unconditional Acceptance Of Life, And What It Brings