In the spring of 1998, I was approached by several of my colleagues of the Naples Philharmonic to compose a new piece for an upcoming recital. They were desiring a new piece for horn and string quartet, and the concert was to occur on April 1st.

I am always welcome to inspiration in any form, and in this case I found the date of the premiere (April Fool’s Day) to be an intriguing circumstance with which to work.

I first chose the month and day, 4 and 1 respectively, and decided to develop ...