Flores del Desierto was commissioned in March of 1998 by Janice Beck; the request was for a set of three concert tangos for organ in honor of Astor Piazzolla. Albarda, the first of the set, is a typical fast-tempo tango, with a tristamente section in the center. After an assertive introduction (which foreshadows the primary theme), the piece unfolds with the first large section based on the primary theme of the work, a seductive, chromatic motive. The theme for the more lyrical middle portion is the exact inversion of this main theme. A third large section offers a recapitulation of the first theme, followed by a wildly embellished version, which culminates in a toccata-like finish. The piece ends with a recurrence of the opening material. The second tango, Espuelita, is cast in the mood of the slower, milonga-type tango. The opening presents a chord progression that functions much like a chaconne and appears often as an accompaniment to the theme of the work. The primary and secondary themes are presented, then set aside briefly for an intensely expressive centerpiece based on a slow-moving chord progression. The final section is a recapitulation of the first section, with florid ornamentation of the two important themes. Saiya, the final work of the set, is a fugal tango, somewhat influenced by Piazzolla’s Fugata, a piece that stays fugal for about two to three minutes, then becomes increasingly uninhibited. Saiya follows a similar plan, but with a much longer final section, which becomes faster and wilder as the various transformations of the fugue subject unfold.