Four Commentaries was inspired by the melodic and harmonic movement in Beethoven's F major sonata Op.5 No.1, which the composer was privileged to hear played by Marton Roscoe and Moray Welsh at the 2007 Beverley Chamber Music Festival.

The subject of commentary here is not the Beethoven sonata, but the first movement of Nigel's own first Concerto for orchestra (2004). Each commentary looks at the source material of the concerto focusing in turn on a different musical element. These elements are expressed using the celebrated descriptions of musical content by composer Sam Richards:

I. Rising, Falling, Hovering (melody)
II. Rate of Change (rhythm)
III. What Happens Together (harmony)
IV. Where Things Come From (progression)