Character Suites Volume 2

The second volume of the Character Suites turns to nature — trees and flowers brought to life in music, from the mighty oak and the flexible willow to the colourful tulips and delicate snowdrops. These suites are just as loved by orchestras as by quartets.

The first of the two nature suites is all about flowers. The snowdrops sleep beneath a coat of snow until their time comes, breaking through the icy blanket. The daffodils dance in the gentle breeze, the tulips bring a happy burst of colour, and in the water lilies, you can hear the water gently flowing throughout. This last movement also featured in a theatre play about the Irish legend of the Salmon of Wisdom.

In the second nature suite, trees are depicted in short, characteristic movements. The old oak has been especially popular with orchestras — through simple double-stopping, even a small ensemble can produce a sound as impressive and mighty as the tree itself. The weeping willow, with its graceful, drooping branches, opens with a harmonic build-up before the second part challenges players with intricate counting. The maple, ever-changing through the seasons, reveals its autumn colours in the second part of the piece — a shift you can hear as much as imagine. And the birch, always full of surprises with its distinctive bark and quiet versatility, rounds out the set. We love talking with our students about these trees while we work on the pieces, and letting them discover for themselves how nature translates into music.