Why write for the orchestra? For one thing it's a very challenging problem.

The first thing that struck me about contemporary music in general had been thatthere was not much interest in rhythm.

Yes, I get a report from BMI about the frequency of performances, and it is very surprising. They played one of my most advanced pieces, and one of my most unusual ones on the radio.

Talking about a materialistic thing, I get about 13 times more royalties from Europe than I do from America.

That was one of the big problems when I was at Harvard studying music. We had to write choral pieces in the style of Brahms or Mendelssohn, which was distressing because in the end you realized how good Brahms is, and how bad you are.

Aaron Copland was a man that had a very specific point of view about what music should be which was that, he felt that new music should have the composer should show a personality in his music.

Almost every one of my various zero numbered birthdays has had a big concert in London and often in Paris.