Spring

Spring does not set out to be a pictorial depiction of the passage of the season; instead it was the cold, fragile, rapid opening, scored for active flutes and quietly shadowing strings, that clearly suggested that time of year to me. The shape of the piece is broadly palindromic. After the chilly opening, there is a short, static section with icy sustained strings accompanying muted brass and wind chorales. The central section is the longest, the full orchestra finally being deployed in a sequence of climaxes. After this, the music eventually finds its way back to where it started. Huw Watkins