I always had, deep down, a slight aversion toward the purely cerebral in music.

Music has just as much to do with movement and body as it does soul and intellect.

I feel very free and very happy to be a composer.

Every orchestra I know, every opera house I know, is desperately looking around trying to find new talent, new composing talent, supporting young composers, supporting new ideas, supporting new ways of getting the message across.

In Europe, there is so much tradition, and everyone has established ideas as to what art should be and what it has always been.

I'm composing more than before. I'm cutting down on conducting.

I can't imagine how many first performances I've done, perhaps 500. Some of them have been very good, and some of course very bad.