It's the irrational things that interest me.

You either are or you're not.

The opera tells the story with all the built-in contradictions and from many different angles.

Minimalism now is a reaction to what came before. It's absolutely of its time. Music moved into the set theory thing, and moved out of it.

I think there are influences that you open the door to, and influences that come under the door.

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.

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.