Seasons

Spring begins slowly as the elements prepare to burgeon with life.
The following rhythmic pattern in D major is sprightly and irregular, everything in different stages of growth.

Summer is more insistent, more intense. The sun in the southern hemisphere can be blistering. It is a powerful energy source. It can take your breath away, it can make the air shimmer and seem to blur.
In this movement, the repetitive piano chords are featured and may be seen to represent an unceasing build-up of heat.

Autumn is a more thoughtful time. A transition touched with both loss and renewal. G minor envelops all of the instruments: the strings with long held notes, the piano with arpeggiated chords.

Winter for me conjures moments of still, pale lemon shaded images. A drained and vacant landscape which is nevertheless full of promise.
The movement begins with a solo viola introducing a searching melody in E minor. The cellos enter with a tentative plucked accompaniment. The harmony oscillates between two main chords creating a sense of stillness that is also expectant.
Elena Kats-Chernin