Georg Solti

"From Toscanini I learnt the essential and desperate seriousness of making music."

"Everyone says you have to be a specialist, and if you conduct Wagner you cannot conduct Mozart - this is nonsense."

"Fight the tendency to become complacent and do one kind of music - that is the death of a musician."

"In my orchestra, I hate slackness, idle talk and lost time. I always hated this and still hate it. But I can achieve much more when I am quiet and not shouting."

"Between the two men, somewhere, a truth is lying, and that is what I try to find."

"Charlie Rose: What's your favorite symphony in the world now? Sir-"

"Georg Solti: There isn't any. There isn't any for me. This is a question for amateurs. Amateurs have favorite symphonies. A pro never have favorites. The favorite is what I am doing now, today. That's my favorite."