I think the tendency to paint composers or styles of music with too broad a brush - for example, identifying composers as writers of "simple" or "complex" music - has become increasingly problematic and is almost never productive.

The best critics leave the reader curious to pursue something further, but still to let the reader have his or her own honest, unique opinion.

Part of what makes music so interesting is the lack of consensus on just about any given topic.

Just as all pop music is not simplistic, not all contemporary concert music is complex. Often what a person connects with goes much deeper than generalized issues of simplicity and complexity.

If people want insights, if they want to swim in the currents of their own time and share the experiences of their time, then it makes sense to engage with the artists of one's own time.

Mazur was a remarkable artist. During our time in Rome we became friends. I would often perform my works for him at the piano.

I write because the act of writing itself is what drives me. It's a private communication within myself - nothing more or less. This doesn't mean I do not want to share with people.