“w/ Fire” is in response to the ever-worsening fires that continue to inflict catastrophic damage across this planet. The opening texture ignites the piece into a blaze of fast oscillating pitch collections. Occasionally, a single pitch breaks through the flurry—a cry for help—but the pitch suddenly vanishes. This texture develops over the course of the piece, with the intense melody spreading throughout the work, engulfing more and more pitches into the inferno. A complete melody gradually takes hold in the viola, and, regardless of any effort, the melody cannot be extinguished as it is passed on to the cello. Eventually, the first violin is overtaken by the melodic flame, pushing it higher until the first string of the violin is rendered useless. The fire continues, demolishing everything in its path until suddenly… there is nothing left. There is no string left for music; there is no forest left to burn. Everything is gone as quickly as it ignited.