Composed in tribute to the late and much admired composer Nicholas Maw, whose Sonata for the same combination (1966) has long been a favourite of mine, this much shorter and more concentrated piece in a single continuous movement explores what I think of as a particularly ?English?, neo pastoral sound world. The horns? roles, by turns athletic and lyrical, even amorous, are integrated into the texture, often amplifying and emulating the strings. The piece can be seen as an addition to along and venerable line of ?hunting? pieces.