This work was inspired by some of the famous paintings by Botticelli, but also, the small details that so often are unnoticed. Venus, being born in a seashell, is showered with flowers that the west wind Zephyrus and his girlfriend Flora blow in her direction. Blue windflowers, or anemones wait for the breeze to pass over them so that they can open. In Venus and Mars, a wasp’s nest buzzes away behind the reclining lovers, maybe Botticelli’s comment on relationships and marriage. In the angelic Mystic Nativity little devils run for cover along the bottom of the painting, and in Madonna of the Magnificat a tiny silver cathedral shimmers in the distance, a long way off. I cannot know what was in Botticelli’s mind five hundred odd years ago, but I like to think that he is suggesting that everything comes at a price, or is simply cause and effect.

1. La Primavera – Zephyrus, the west wind - windflowers
2. Venus and Mars – young satyrs
3. A Wasp’s Nest
4. Mystic Nativity – the angels dance a roundelay -little demons running for cover
5. The artist looks out of the painting – the three Graces
6. A far distant, white cathedral

First performed by Robert Plane (clarinet) and the Elias Quartet, during the 3 Choirs Festival, in Worcester Baptist Church on the 1^st August, 2024. Dedicated to Cynthia Milton With thanks to Martin Taylor