This piece grew over many years, when I would sit down at the piano and express my feelings, playing by ear. My father died in 1995, and my mother two years later. After that, I worked at the ideas in my previous piano extemporizations, gave the piece a definite form, arranged it for string quartet, and a proper key structure. That was finished in 1998. In April (2008) I worked at it again, improved the weaker sections, and then made an additional arrangement for string orchestra rather than string quartet. It is in a slow three/four time-signature, much of it in a “chaconne†rhythm, with a quicker fugal middle section. To hear the opening sections of the piece (in either version), click on the title. To hear the complete versions of these pieces, or to down-load the scores and parts, click on the “SibeliusMusic” button at the foot of this page. This refers you to the SibeliusMusic website, from where, using “Browse by composers”, you can reach my pieces. Duration: about 14 minutes
