Interviews with musicians, composers and conductors
It’s no secret that avant-garde music communities outside of the classical spectrum have managed to evolve, thrive and be culturally relevant among the wider music populace. You have to ask yourself why classical music isn’t reaching those same heights.
The concept behind each work is extremely important to me. The first step of composing any piece begins with my interaction with an extra-musical source inspiration, and from that I form the idea and the all-important title, which becomes the identity of the work
Your own compositions are like your baby. It is the hardest and simultaneously the most beautiful thing to let them go and open them up to numerous interpretations.
Making a score is for me almost always the last stage while working on the new piece. I start with capturing the ideas, which are sometimes far away from the music itself.
When you get to know a particular musician, you can arrive at a wondrous place of trust and collaboration, where you are not afraid to challenge each other, or to debate certain musical decisions. One of my favourite things is asking musicians to comment on what I have written; often they suggest brilliant amendments which I would never have thought of myself.
I’ve found it particularly exciting when performers make a work their own through interpretation or collaboration. I enjoy working to create music that suits a particular performer’s temperament and abilities.
