On the genesis of this turbulently expressive work for cello and piano, composer Samuel Adler writes, “While I was thinking about what sort of piece to write for Min and Mark, nature was acting up in a typically ‘contemporary’ way. There was a severe storm followed by beautifully calm weather. Then came a second storm, even more severe than the first. I felt that I was living through a world situation that mirrored these natural phenomena.” Adler fled Nazi Germany in his youth, and was disheartened to see a period of relative peace give way to renewed conflict in recent years. “These developments in nature and world unrest have affected me greatly, and I wanted to express these feelings in music if I could. To me, the toccata has always represented a stormy situation, and there are two in this piece, with the second being more intense than the first. A dialogue offers relief and calm.” For advanced performers.