"In writing new music for a traditional ensemble such as the piano trio or the string quartet I am always conscious of the weight of the existing repertoire and the standard approach to writing for the group; it is my wish to contribute to the body of work for the ensemble but to make a musical statement that speaks of life today. Paradoxically it was while listening to the Leonore Trio perform Schubert's wonderful Notturno - in many respects a perfect model of the classical approach to the genre - that I had a perception of a more contemporary way to use the same ensemble. This would involve acknowledging the greater power of the modem piano and its hugely extended range since classical times, as well as the potential of the stringed instruments to play outside the tempered scale, to slide between pitches and to produce a range of microtonal sounds beyond the reach of the piano. The vast differences in sonority produced by the three instruments could be exploited just as much as their capacity to blend, and that suggested the possible presence of conflict as well as cooperation in the musical language of the piece."