Any creator owes a debt to past creation.
Truth is a big concept.
To come to grips with creativity, I must ask creative, adventurous questions - the kind which, in all likelihood, cannot be answered.
That is why the analogy of stealing does not work. With a thief, we want to know how much money he stole, and from whom. With the artist it is not how much he took and from whom, but what he did with it.
I still do not know where the notes will come from when I accept a commission for a new work.
Yes, influences are enriching, and they can be found in every work of art, even the most original.
In the nineteenth century the more grandiose word inspiration began to replace the word idea in the arts.
Truth implies meaning.
If one uses music that one does not really love, then one will not succeed in making it one's own.
Most people think an artist tries to be original, but originality is the last thing that develops in the artist.
I don't dare postulate about science, but I know that it takes both emotion and intellect in order for art to happen.
To understand Mozart's contradictory qualities would indeed be to understand genius.
Great music does not just make me feel good. It means something. It makes us understand. It makes us happy.
