When I started learning the cello, I fell in love with the instrument because it seemed like a voice - my voice.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the deep emotional connection one can have with a musical instrument.
Mstislav Rostropovich reflects on the intimate bond he formed with the cello during his learning process, likening it to a personal voice that resonated with his own identity. This suggests that art, particularly music, can be a powerful medium of self-expression and emotional exploration.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of music education, one might quote this to highlight the personal impact of learning an instrument.
Every man must have the right fearlessly to think independently and express his opinion about what he knows, what he has personally thought about and experienced, and not merely to express with slightly different variations the opinion which has been inculcated in him.
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.
The artist must forget the audience, _x000D_ forget the critics, forget the technique, forget everything but love for the music._x000D_ Then, the music speaks through the performance,_x000D_ and the performer and the listener will walk together_x000D_ with the soul of the composer, and with_x000D_ God.
I know that after my letter there will be undoubtedly an 'opinion' about me, but I am not afraid of it. I openly say what I think. Talent, of which we are proud, must not be submitted to the assaults of the past.
Now I come to 75 years of age, I think what's most important in life is your conscience. If you told a lie and made other people suffer, I think that's very difficult when you reach this age.
All my life I wanted to play music with love to every member of the audience.
In a way, the characters often do take over.
The main thing to understand is that we are imprisoned in some kind of work of art.
For me, the creation of a photograph is experienced as a heightened emotional response, most akin to poetry and music, each image the culmination of a compelling impulse I cannot deny. Whether working with a human figure or a still life, I am deeply aware of my spiritual connection with it. In my life, as in my work, I am motivated by a great yearning for balance and harmony beyond the realm of human experience, reaching for the essence of oneness with the Universe.
Discovering the 'impossible' ending to a new book makes me sick with joy and relief.
Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence, and silence is full of music.
Literature is the most noble of professions. In fact, it is about the only one fit for a man.
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