Although, I am proud of all my Symphonies as they all have something special to say, my particular favourite is the Fifth. As the great Mahler expert Donald Mitchell said that if Mahler had written another Symphony, it would have been my Fifth!
Wagner has lovely moments but awful quarters of an hour.
I listed to Tchaikovsky. He is both kitsch and profound. I love that lack of "Good taste."
Most Beethoven symphonies require 80 or more instruments, and the late romantics even more.
Classical music presents some of the world's most challenging pieces.
I began like all composers, writing for small groups. Chamber groups.
I happen to love Saint-Saens in general. I think he's a brilliant composer and sometimes underrated in a way because people like to pass him off as fluffy and not being serious.
Concert repertoire is some of the most beautiful music ever written, and I frequently seek out opportunities to perform it.
