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He is aware that there is a long march ahead. Says his close friend, Violinist Isaac Stern: "Slava knows that there are certain elements of the classic repertoire that he still has to grow into. He will not pretend that he can match the 30 or 40 years of experience of any master conductor.
He is also much more romantic, much freer in his views than we are in America. But I think a lot of that will change as he begins to work more and more in a completely Western environment. He has everything working in his favor, most of all that he desperately wants to say something and "he is passionate about saying it."
What pleases Slava most is that he has found the chance to express that passion. "At home," he says, "Ministry of Culture make every plan for me. They decide countries and programs I play. Here I am absolutely free. For artists, that is an incredible feeling. At first, I always think I have forget to ask permission from somebody. It is like a sickness."
He yearns to go home, but insists that he will never return unless he is granted the artistic freedom he has found elsewhere. "It is very, very stupid. They think they can change history, but it is not possible for these stupid things to continue for a long time. Americans have this sense of freedom. They say, 'I don't like this! Pfui!' And they make it new! They are free of the presence of history. And in America I am feeling the same way. I am without limit. I make exactly what I want."