Lairs of Flavor (2001) for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano was commissioned by WHRB Radio (Cambridge). The work is dedicated in memory of Robert Paul Block, composer and bookseller, a friend of the composer who passed away on March 1, 2001.

The work is cast in three short movements, each with a different “fruit flavor” title and inspiration. The opening movement, Peach, is slow and spare—chordal textures alternate with rhapsodic figurations. The second movement, Watermelon, contains transformations of chordal figurations over an ostinato in the piano The final movement, Lemon, is joyous and light-hearted—full of excitement and zest.