“The centre-piece of the first movement of winter poems is a tranquil, contemplative melody. Delicate bell sounds, woodwind trills and a quiet low drone emerge at the beginning of the movement, providing a backdrop for the melody when it is in its simplest form.

“The Jumblies is a nonsense poem by Edward Lear about a group of hapless creatures who sail off for adventure in a sieve.”

“Violist Neal Gripp approached me to compose a concerto for him in the fall of 1988. The theme for the variations is a short chorale from my earlier oratorio The Cycle of Spring.

“At the heart of J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Silmarillion is the mythical tale of Beren and Lúthien. The harp and the timpani are the principal musical characters in the movement and they are always in conflict.”

– Glenn Buhr, March 1998

1-3. winter poems

4. The Jumblies

5. Viola Concerto

6-8. Beren & Lúthien