With the concept of "theme and variations" in mind, I was curious to explore a similar idea of a fugue and contrapuntal variations, as a celebration of this rich genre.
The first movement is a fugue written in a rather conventional way. Through variation new ideas come to life, seeds of further development in the second and third more relaxed and contrasting movements. Finally, the last variation ends the cycle by echoing the first "flight." The rules are quickly bent, but the spirit of the fugue is preserved and honored: themes from previous movements are recapitulated together in "stretto" passages.
Although all the players have equally important roles, a "contest" in the middle of the last movement is "won" by the clarinet: the short clarinet cadenza is a token of my appreciation of a talented friend of mine.
The dancing and playful character of the inner movements evokes for me the image of a lively sprite, flying through the forest: hence "The Sprite's Flight" (fugue literally means flight).
