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.

Music is such a problem in the time it takes.

My operas usually come from musical ideas rather than ideas about subject matter.

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

I always write the pieces I want to write.

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

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