Flights of Fancy for string quartet is a title that gave me license to use material more freely than I might otherwise have done. There are five main sections, or “flights” in the piece, though it is written in one long movement. The first section, Preflight, is an introduction to the piece, with a jazzy beginning and then an additive, almost minimalistic segment that builds. Flight 1 features the cello as a soloist, and then in combination with the other instruments; its jagged edges are fast and frantic. Flight 2 has violin 2 playing more lyrical music, accompanied by chords and counterpoint from the other strings. For Flight 3, I borrowed a well-known Jewish folk tune called “Az Ich Vil Zingen,” arranging it with the viola as the featured instrument. This section eventually ends in a transitional area that represents the clamor of sirens, a warning reminiscent of WWII alarms that alerts us to the danger of becoming too complacent. The final section, Flight 4, moves through various segments, and has the violin 1 playing virtuosic lines, imitated by the other strings. The piece ends with exuberant chords punctuated by the virtuosic melodies.