From the recording Mosquitoes (4:09)
This is a scherzo that attempts to capture the erratic yet stealthy movement of a pesky mosquito, with a small degree of dissonance to evoke a sense of annoyance. The leaping musical figure at the outset of the piece was the kernel from which it grew. As in Nor'easter, I deliberately sought to go beyond my usual compositional comfort zone and pursue some more dramatic melodic jumps and more adventurous textures. The piece developed in sections, with the opening figures reappearing in the close for cohesion. Once the subject of mosquitoes had occurred to me, adding some somewhat irritating percussive piano figures and dissonances in the symphonic tutti chords felt natural. A "slap" produced by the double bass (an effect that sounds like a percussion instrument) appears twice, first preceding a middle section that has the character of a chase scene, and then rather appropriately in the coda. The placement of the piece within the suite is an extension of the "joke," in that mosquitoes in great numbers often follow a significant rainfall (Nor'easter) after a delay (Intermezzo).