| 1. | I was Russian-born but became an American citizen. |
| 2. | My first piano teacher was my mother. She must have been pretty good - she taught piano at the Kiev Conservatory! |
| 3. | In 1928, I made my U.S. debut with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. I played Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. |
| 4. | One of my good friends was Sergei Rachmaninov, who was not exactly a slouch when it came to the piano. He called me one of the finest pianists living! |
| 5. | In spite of the numerous times I gave concerts, I used to suffer from terrible panic and anxiety attacks. How did I eventually overcome it? Shock therapy! |
| 6. | On the 50th anniversary of my American debut, I played at the White House for President Carter. |
| 7. | I married the daughter of conductor Arturo Toscanini. |
