I think that the nightmares are telling me things about myself that I need to know. And I try to understand what they mean, so I can get to know something more about my soul.
There are two ways to wake up. You can wake up thinking about what you know, or you wake up thinking and saying ‘What can I learn?.’ That’s a very different approach.
It’s been a thrilling journey – I have had to really learn that an orchestra is an entity – it’s a creature. I have been calling it the dragon and the conductor is the dragon tamer. And you just have to … ride and don’t let go and you will be fine.
There are things that I refuse to deal with except through my music… because I don’t trust humanity that much, and I don’t know if I trust me that much. But I trust the songs.
The fact that religion plays such a part in how people vote troubles me, troubles me as a minister’s daughter. Because I always felt that the separation of church and state was what our forefathers and foremothers really fought for.
I’ve never felt anything that moves me as much as my piano. I’m an emotional player. I don’t really like people. I prefer my piano to people. It’s totally reliable and it’s alive. I can hear what it’s saying.
You know when people smile too much? It’s painful. I find it really painful. Happy is not very reliable. I’m trying to live like, um, with a fierce calm.
The key things are about power and about growing up and realizing as you grow up that there are consequences for the choices you make, especially when you get seduced by power.
