A MAN who is music- that is Isaac Stern, American violinist.
For him, music is a way of living, thinking and feeling.

But then, there is music- and music.
His kind of music is priceless- two Guarnieri del Gesu violins, 1737 and 1740.

The other “sounds” as he prefers to call THAT kind of music, start with an electricity switch.
“And when you turn it off, there’s not much left.”

Mr Stern, 50, arrived in Melbourne yesterday for three guest concert appearances.
He said pop-rock “was nothing more than frenzied beats creating effects very quickly.
“And it reflects the unwillingness of its listener to take more time over things,” he said.
“These people don’t want to take the time to sit, listen and appreciate REAL music.
“But it’s part and parcel of our times- where the world is at your fingertips and you just reach out and grab everything quickly.”

Mr Stern said people today tended to take things for granted and were simply pleasure-seekers.
“One should earn the right to enjoy the pleasures of life,” he said.

Mr Stern will appear tonight at the Melbourne Town Hall as guest artist of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.