Q: What do you think of opera in comparison to other forms? How does composing an opera differ?
A: I love opera, but the difficulties of getting a staged performance are paralyzingly intimidating. It's potentially the most engrossing form of music, of course.
Q: In your opinion, what was, or is, the greatest accomplishment of "Life is a Dream"?
A: Greatest accomplishment of LID? Hmm... giving flesh to its timelessly insistent issues: father and son, fate and free will, dreams and reality. Finding a way to invest these themes with individual personalities and to have them interact illuminatingly. Discovering a great range of ways in which the orchestra extends the work's text and feelings. Carrying one along in a kind of inexorable momentum, as happens with the greatest of the Greek tragedies (no immodesty intended; I'm talking about a KIND of trajectory, not my success).
Q: Did you work with James Maraniss or did you work separately?
A: We worked separately, though we had long conversations about our objectives before either began work.
Q: What do you plan to do next?
A: I'm working on a piece for my wife, Melinda Spratlan, a wonderful soprano, and four flutists. It's a "spatial" piece, with each of the four players in one corner of the stage and Melinda in the middle. Lot's of "travelling" notes.
Q: What would you say to someone who was considering composing?
A: Plan to work hard and dream hard. It ain't easy (but it's got to sound so).