Serenade begins with broad, yet sensitive, melodic fragments, performed by a solo French Horn, played in succession and with each fragment followed by a gentle string response. Though this movement is not intended as a romantic serenade, I imagine the string response to be a kind of heart-flutter comment on hearing the preceding “Serenade” fragment, invoking feelings of remembrance, longing, love, and joy, yet always with an undertone of poignancy in quiet contemplation. The conversation thus introduced in the opening few measures will take on larger-than-life dimensions from time to time as emotions ebb and flow throughout the movement.