There are great, great things that came out of Spanish tradition.

There was a migration of culture from Spain because of Franco.

It was advantageous for the French and English to promote the idea that everything out of Spain was ugly, cruel and crude because of the Inquisition and blah, blah, blah. The legend persisted for years and years -- centuries -- with this belief that all the Spanish were barbarians.

This is a fabulous part of world history that most people don't understand.

I had never read a word, nor seen a movie. I had to immerse and educate myself. But the advantage is I'm sort of coming to the material very fresh, and I saw instantly how this is a story for the stage.

I don't like composers who think. It gets in the way of their plagiarism.