This conversation broadly is an attempt to understand what is going on now in much of composition. Inevitably, there are no firm conclusions, for it is like trying to hold smoke, but it raises various issues with our perception of any music. A key thread from the start is whether there is a broad term for what a significant tranche of composers has been doing since the latter part of the twentieth century. The importance of Messiaen's example is outlined and Anderson discusses how his understanding of that, along with parts of The Rite of Spring, led to his use of multi-register scales in Khorovod, and how it is also how he hears a range of other music. After noting the aesthetic of free improvisation and performances of musical graphics, and the restrictive approaches of some in the latter part of the twentieth century, the possibility of a non-technical term to encapsulate the more open musical approach prompts discussion of the term ‘decorative’. Negative perceptions in Britain of French culture lead to noting the not entirely positive impact of the progressive canon promulgated by Messiaen and the restricted range of influences deemed acceptable by the following generations, after which the conversation returns to terminology with terms such as Impressionist and Classical and composers talking about their own music.