A simple remark can have huge resonances – sometimes immediate, at other times viewed through the prism of time and distance; often replayed in our memories, each time taking on a different emphasis or meaning. Such remarks can have enormous significance when the person from whom they came is no longer with us. This piece takes the form of an imaginary dialogue between solo cello and orchestra. The ‘remark’ of the title is represented by the simple four-note ascending motif first heard in the opening bars in the string quartet accompaniment.