Three Picasso Portraits was commissioned by the Saxology saxophone quartet and it was first performed at St Martin's in the Fields, London, in June 1992. The pieces are loosely inspired, both in terms of mood and technique, by three Picasso paintings from the inter-war years. The clear-cut jazz rhythms of Harlequin give way to the intense inner tragedy of Weeping Woman, which is followed by The Three Dancers, superficially light-hearted but with a hidden desperation beneath.

A recording is available by Saxology on the CD English Quartets, Meridian CDE 84376.