The notes I handle no better than many pianists. But the pauses between the notes-ah, that is where the art resides.

Roaming through the jungle of "oohs" and "ahs," searching for a more agreeable noise, I live a life of primitivitv with the mind of a child and an unquenchable thirst for sharps and flats.

The most exciting rhythms seem unexpected and complex, the most beautiful melodies simple and inevitable.

Where there's music there can be no evil.

Professional musicians sometimes like to give the impression that theirs is the best job of all in that they're being paid to do what they would be doing just for fun.

Music is nothing else but wild sounds civilized into time and tune.

Music is essentially useless, as life is.

The performance of performance has developed to such an extent in recent years that it challenges the music itself and will soon threaten it with relegation.

Music is essentially useless, as life is.

There are two golden rules for an orchestra: start together and finish together. The public doesn't give a damn what goes on in between.