Gently flowing (2010), for violin and piano, is dedicated to the memory of my extraordinary dog, Clara, (a.k.a. Madame Clara Schumann), who died in 2009 at the age of 16. Clara was a wise old soul, and her spirit is portrayed in the piece, which begins and ends with very soft, mysterious clusters, evoking the emptiness from which she emerged. The clusters turn into a gentle melody, and the work is predominantly quite and gentle, with some livelier episodes along the way. A large climax leads to the quiet end. gently flowing was written for and dedicated to violinist Tatiana Bykova, and it was premiered in Saratov, Russia in March, 2010.