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I approach everything as chamber music. Even with Beethoven symphonies, I lead from the violin and basically encourage the orchestra to think of it as a giant string quartet.

A symphony must be like the world. It must contain everything.

I think that of my 21 symphonies, each has its own place.

A Beethoven symphony should be rehearsed like chamber music, only for a lot more people.

In the 1950s in the United States, few music lovers were listening to chamber music. Daddy played Bach and Haydn on our phonograph for me. Not only did I become familiar with the form; he discussed the concerti. My own head start. My own Head Start.

I have written symphonic poems and chamber music. It is my way of personal expression.

I grew up in an era where an orchestra was like a treasure chest.

All these tales of people sitting down and composing symphonies just as though they were writing a letter are very much exaggerated; at least, it isn't that way in my work.

This is what I want in heaven... words to become notes and conversations to be symphonies.

We can't afford big symphonies but we commission works that sound rich and symphonic because of the nature of the instrumentation and the people we work with.