Walker drew inspiration for this short, slow movement from "I Thirst" being the the fifth of Christ's last seven words from the cross - cries of dereliction and comfort that are meditated upon annually at Passiontide. I Thirst is a ritual of solo melody, homophony and biting figuration whose dessication is, in due course, quenched by waves of string harmonics. The work's pervading instability is resolved with the subduing power of melody finally bringing balance.
Since the late 1980s the English composer Robin Walker has lived in the rural north of England, dedicating himself to composition and seeking to engage in his work with the long-term processes of symphonic music and the collective spirit of folk music.
