By Haruki Murakami, Vintage, October 3, 2017, 0804173729

I really wanted to like Absolutely on Music, but I found it too slow paced, even boring. The music terminology got too technical at times for me. I didn’t finish it.

[k106] Basically, I believe that music exists to make people happy.

[k140] Creative people have to be fundamentally egoistic. This may sound pompous, but it happens to be the truth. People who live their lives watching what goes on around them, trying not to make waves, and looking for the easy compromise are not going to be able to do creative work, whatever their field.

[k167] Like Ozawa, I also get up at four in the morning and concentrate on my work, alone.

[k588] OZAWA: You know how people say that the sound of an orchestra changes with the conductor? That tends to be truer of American orchestras.