Bath Festival time. I was sat across the aisle from the esteemed composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. That's always quite exciting for me - to be in the presence of a respected creative person. I couldn't help but watch him, particularly when his own piece was being performed: watching with hawklike countenance, listening with great intensity, moving his hands as if shaping the music again.

The festival has attracted some immense talent in the past. Two experiences I'll never forget: a day of interviews and performances with the great French composer Henri Dutilleux - I remember his politely refusing to list composers he hated despite being encouraged by his interviewer - and a weekend visit by the extraordinary Iannis Xenakis. These people didn't (past tense, unfortunately, for both) come out into the public eye very often so it was a privilege to see them.