When I finally got together with Rostropovich as a student, he was very focused, almost entirely focused on the music itself, on what the composer had in mind and what he knew about the composer. Many of the works that… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
Our interpretations through the years and generations have always changed, but the emotions, ideas, and the thoughts of the composers are still with us, and these are the premise of the music. The time factor has little to do with… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
We all know that there are many people that can play the instrument perfectly today, up and down with technical perfection, but does the… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
Beginning in the nineteenth century, with performers like Franz Liszt, were musicians who were able to excite an audience and communicate on a whole… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
I think you can tell a lot from the lives of many of today's great soloists. Their participation and gravitation towards chamber music is… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
The pieces that have survived, the ones that we all love, were not all popular in their time. Just look at Beethoven's late string… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
When I finally got together with Rostropovich as a student, he was very focused, almost entirely focused on the music itself, on what the… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
If I were to run around the world playing just the cello concertos - and believe me, I love playing them - I would… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
Being an artist and a musician, I have witnessed the previous generation taking the art form, not as a way of making a living,… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
A lot of my musical education was done simply by listening. If you really want to excel on your instrument, it's almost impossible to… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
I don't think too much about the past when I am actually playing, I prefer to concentrate on the present. The performance of a… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
I would say that for the younger musicians, technical proficiency is necessary and a given these days. But the study and the way you… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
Even if you are a pianist, your concerto repertoire is very limited compared to what your chamber repertoire would be if you were a… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
For Rostropovich, every single note that he played had a special kind of human meaning behind it. And this was something that he expressed… — David Finckel Copy Share Image
