This quintet was composed in 1983 for the Syrinx Ensemble and is dedicated to Dame Ruth Railton, the founder of the National Youth Orchestra.
The work is in one continuous movement, and falls into two main sections ~ slow and fast ~ separated by a harp cadenza. The flautist is required to play not only the flute, but also alto flute and piccolo. The work is deliberately calm and lyrical in character ~ ‘a haven of peace in a world ever more turbulent and mechanical, an eddy where scarcely a ripple troubles its still waters, far, far from the headlong flow of the main stream which is plunging headlong towards the cataract.’
