Quotes

It was love; I always felt like he was my child; I wanted to care for him and feed him. There are so many such connections on Earth, ones that last even a moment, but are cherished and endure forever. Andrey and I had such a connection. [re Andrey Mironov]

My parents were hard workers. My father was a corresponding member of the Academy of Architecture. A doctor of science and professor, he headed a major research institute and wrote a huge work on architectural theory. My father served throughout the war as a guards major, commanded a sapper regiment, and accomplished numerous feats, preserving every last soldier. My mother was a dramatic actress.

In spiritual life, it's like war: you're wounded, you fall; if you realize you're alive, get up or crawl to where they'll bandage and heal your wound, and then get back into the fight, don't linger. And bandaging and healing can only be done in church, of course, if you're sincere.

I was raised very strictly. I worked all day, learning German from the age of four, then English from the age of seven, piano, and drawing lessons. My favorite activity was conducting. From the age of five, I would stand in my father's red wooden chair and conduct for hours, shedding tears. It was the music of Beethoven, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky. I loved music very much, and I would recount the meaning of every symphony or concerto I heard, as I understood it.