hiː wˈʌns sˈɛd ɪn ɐn ˈɪntɚvjˌuː ðæt sˈɪns tʃˈaɪldhʊd hiː hæd tɹˈaɪd fˈɜːvəntli tə sˈɪnθəsˌaɪz ðə kˈʌltʃɚz ʌvðə nˈɔːɹðɚn ʃˈoːɹ ʌvðə mˌɛdɪɾɪɹˈeɪniən wɪð ðoʊz ʌv ɪts sˈʌðɚn ʃˈoːɹ.
He once said in an interview that since childhood he had tried fervently 'to synthesise the cultures of the northern shore of the Mediterranean with those of its southern shore'.