Capitalism, Communism ... It's All Garbage.

The Artist Must Forget The Audience, Forget The Critics, Forget The Technique, Forget Everything But Love For The Music. Then, The Music Speaks Through The Performance, And The Performer And The Listener Will Walk Together With The Soul Of The Composer, And With God.

Now I Want To Use Money In A Good Way. I Make Foundations Back Home In Russia, I Have Sponsored Vaccinations For More Than One Million Children In My Homeland And I Have Founded Scholarships In The Names Of My Great Russian Compatriots - Oistrakh, Richter, Gilels, Shostakovich, Prokofiev And Schnittke.

When I Started Learning The Cello, I Fell In Love With The Instrument Because It Seemed Like A Voice - My Voice.

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.

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.