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

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.

When I was confronted with official tuition, the academic thing, I could see no relationship whatever between that and the music I'd been writing since I was 11.

Music is such a problem in the time it takes.

There are rhythmic ideas which sometimes only work up to a point. In writing there are moments when it just comes off the page, it's not just a collection of notes.

My operas and my theatre works are very formal pieces.

I'm not a music lover in the sense that I look for something to have on. I've never had that attitude to music.