Pianists don’t argue too much generally because we have such a hard time just getting things right; arguing is for string players. – Emanuel Ax
Mozart often wrote to his family that certain variations or sections of pieces were so successful that they had to be encored immediately, even without waiting for the entire piece to end. – Emanuel Ax
If there were no rules about when to applaud, we in the audience would have the right response almost always. – Emanuel Ax
Applause should be an emotional response to the music, rather than a regulated social duty. – Emanuel Ax
It is wonderful to see how happy all my friends in the LA Philharmonic are in their new home. – Emanuel Ax
If the audience walks out of a concert thinking, What a wonderful experience, then we have done our job. – Emanuel Ax
I have been trying to find out exactly when listeners and performers decided that applause between movements would not be allowed, but nobody seems to have been willing to admit that they were the culprit. – Emanuel Ax
Sometimes I wish that applause would come just a bit later, when it is so beautifully hushed that I feel like holding my breath in the silence of the end. – Emanuel Ax
The stage is close to being in the middle of the hall, so that the performers are surrounded by the listeners. I feel that we are all experiencing the music together. – Emanuel Ax
