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

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

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

I think music has gone through a period of something very severe, rather radical, rather the way painting did with cubism.

The thing about influence is that any composer worth anything will give you the same names.

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.

I don't think there is much American music.