Influenced by impressionism and a growing fascination

with delicate tone colors, Rings of Saturn is a gentle,

introspective work written for the rather unusual

combination of flute, violin, and piano. Composer

Donald Martino once remarked about a special aural haze

that seems to hover throughout the piece, partially due to

the piano's use of pedal and plucking inside the

instrument. These special effects serve the dual purpose

of adding a special sound and enhancing the resonances

of the violin and flute without overpowering them. The

title is a reference to photos taken by the Voyager

spacecraft revealing an almost infinite series of colorful

rings surrounding Saturn.