Bright Trees was first performed by Andrew Shulman at a BBC Radio 3 event in Norwich in 1999, in a concert and discussion (with Verity Sharp and John Woolrich) that focused on contemporary cello repertoire.

There is no great connection between the title and the unfolding of the music, apart from the fact that whilst writing the piece at my desk in an attic room near Bath I could see the tops of two beautiful trees that reflected the sunshine in a dazzling way.