His attention to the physical details of piano technique as well as musical phrasing and structure are still key to my understanding of music. Leon Fleisher, who taught me while I was in college, still represents the acme of teaching musical interpretation and inspiration to me. Having a healthy ego as a practicing performer, I'd have to say there is no single person I model myself on. Currently, I enjoy the panache of Watts, the sensitivity of Lupu, the touch of Perahia, and the craziness of Cherkassy and Pogorelich. I don't really know.
Love demands responsibility, thoughtfulness, devotion and action.
Those are good things to build from. This is not a profession you choose for glamour, ego satisfaction or traveling opportunities. You do it almost in spite of yourself, because it is the only thing for you to do. As a student at Harvard, I tried my best to pick out a sensible career. What I found was that I could not live with myself before finding out how far I could go in the field which, like the Sirens of ancient Greece, claimed me.