I always write the pieces I want to write.

The piece that had a large influence on me was Turangalila.

In the end it doesn't matter what you do.

People say my music is English. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's not me writing English music, but that English music is becoming more like me.

I don't have ideas so much as there are things which constantly evolve... there are various threads or layers, if you like, which change.

This sounds horribly pretentious, but I like to think that if music hadn't existed, I could have invented it.

One thing I've tried to do in writing music is take on very basic things, very archetypal things.