Larsen states that she chose the instruments for Firebrand for their colour combination and for their agility. However rather than a nonstop wildly virtuosic affair that might be suggested from the title it is in fact quite the opposite: the piece centres on the image of a flame moving outwards towards its turbulent and flickering edges. She believes that this image also reflects what fine musicians have mastered - the ability to work from a place of centred calm in order to display astonishing virtuosity. A refrain from June Carter Cash's song 'Ring of Fire' is also interwoven throughout the piece in homage to the famous songwriter who died whilst Larsenwas composing the piece.
