"Even when not composing music for film, John Williams tends to tie his music to fairly concrete images…. The inspiration for Heartwood, for example, came from a book containing photographs of trees. His Three Pieces for Solo Cello were attempts to reflect the African-American experience…. Williams describes the cello as groaning under the crack of the work-gang whip for Rosewood, dancing exuberantly in Pickin', and singing a lullaby in The Long Road North. Even Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, a piece that would seem to be the most traditionally 'classical' in its approach, is described as containing a 'hero's role' for the cello, allowing the instrument 'to address the audience in the manner of a clear and direct soliloquy.'''—All Music Guide