As a young composer I had a particular fondness for Liszt's Beethoven Symphony arrangements for the piano, and to this day I enjoy playing non-piano music at the piano.

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

While I believe there is certainly a phenomenon of timelessness in art, the people writing today can comment on today in an exclusive manner.

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.

I don't think performance out of duty yields very much. Coercion is never the way to go.

My own goals center around writing the best music that I can, and only I can determine whether or not I've succeeded in accomplishing that.

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.

Many critics have become de facto teachers. That is a lot of responsibility, and I think it should be wielded with care. Most people appreciate sincere guidance.

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.

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

A healthy dialogue is always good.

Something but not nothing because nothing is an infinite possibility.

The key to success is having no qualms about failure.

Life is more than love and pleasure, I came to dig for treasure.If you want to play, you gotta pay, You know it's always been that wayWe all came digging for treasure.

I just really think every job I do, I get this gypsy attitude to money.

And being alone is the best way to be When I'm by myself it's the best way to be When I'm all alone it's the best way to be When I'm by myself nobody else can say goodbye

I feel sorry for men. They have more problems than women, because they now have to compete with women.

The mania started with insomnia and not eating and being driven, driven to find an apartment, driven to see everybody, driven to do New York, driven to never shut up.

The best part is not the biggest, it's the one that's most memorable.

The fact is that Americans are not a thoughtful people; they are too busy to stop and question their values.

A million butterflies rose up from South America, All together, and flew in a gold storm toward Spain.