Composing for me is a way of expressing what is often inexpressible. As a conductor you can wrap yourself up in the cloak of the composer and succeed or fail with the other performers, but as a composer, you're left alone, naked, and are protected only by the will of your imagination. - on musical composition Show less «

Being a good leader doesn't mean you have to scream and yell. It means that the players will follow you off the edge of the earth because they have such confidence that you know the score, that you have both the skill and the temperament to convey the essence of the score to them. on orchestral conducting Show less «