GATHERINGFOUR: BROADENING PERSPECTIVES was inspired by my love of hiking and climbing in the mountains with my husband. As one ascends a mountain, views/perspectives gradually become broader and superimposedon each other. Our moods change with the terrain and moods of the mountain - mysterious, joyous, seductive, playful, forbidding.In this quartet each of the four instruments has a distinctive theme/personality - like four people climbing a mountaintogether, one plateau at a time. Separating each of these plateaus, is what I call the "climbing theme" - mostly quiet, focussed and tentative. As in climbing, progress in one's life is often measured by various plateaus of experience which become superimposed on each other, giving us broader and deeper perspectives. This deeper level in the music comes from the poignant, happy/sad memories of the many years my husband and I had climbing the magical, mystical, dramatic Rocky Mountains - which were like our own private world.- Diana McIntosh