For many years the violinist Kerenza Peacock and I have been discussing the concept of a piece about trees. One day I received in the post from her a book by Annie Davidson entitled, 'How to be More Tree'. This brilliant book became the inspiration for the Arboretum Suite. The first tree I decided to write about was Aspen. I read that Aspen trees work together sharing water and nutrients through their root system, so only as a community can they grow in strength. Aspen is followed by Açai Palm, a tree which is native to Brazil and Argentina, hence the Latin American feel of this movement. The score is marked pizzicato, the plucked sound further accentuating the South American rhythms. The Vanishing Mahogany of the Amazon naturally has a very sombre feel, although the major key ending of this movement reflects the hope that we may still manage to save the rain forests. The last movement describes my response to the description of the Mountain Hemlock. I wanted to create rhythms that depicted this beautiful tree swaying in the mountain winds. - Oliver Davis