Recorded 23 October, 2013

Violin: Fang Han
Piano: Jade Conlee

III: Stella - Brooklyn Bridge

Recorded 23 October, 2013

Violin: Fang Han
Piano: Jade Conlee


‘Three Studies from the Société Anonyme’ was inspired by a visit to the Yale Art Gallery in December 2012. During my visit, I was struck by many of the works created by members of this modernist collective, (founded by Katherine Drier, Marcell Duchamp, and Man Ray, who chose the title ‘Société Anonyme’ after reading it in a French magazine and believing it to mean anonymous society. It actually translates to “corporation.’) These paintings suggested to me a playful spirit of quirkiness and spontaneity, all full of bright colors and a mix of urban scenes, fascinating characters, and offbeat abstractions. The movements should not be thought of as strictly programmatic, but rather as an elaboration on a first impression. The possible exception to this is the third movement, based on one of Joseph Stella’s many abstract renditions of the Brooklyn Bridge. In this movement, I imagined my own sort of urban pastoral, inspired by my many trips back and forth over this bridge on my bicycle. During morning journeys, I was always moved by the dichotomy of the ceaseless insanity of traffic one side, and on the other, the still water and rising sun.

II: Kandinsky - Kleines Gelb

I: Magritte - Pandora's Box

Where Were You Really

Late Fall Early Spring

Written by Brian Fitzsousa
Produced and Recorded by Aled Roberts

River Of Gold

Written by Brian Fitzsousa
Produced by Aled Roberts

Inishboffin

Three Pieces for String Quartet explores different moods or identities in short movements for string quartet. The first piece, marked “Moderately, moving forward throughout,” is full of shifting, searching, intertwining lines. The second piece is the most sporadic and animated, constantly changing moods and often interrupting itself. The final movement is a lugubrious epilogue, moving at a glacial pace and slowly building to climaxes that eventually fade away into nothing. As a young composer, I often find myself attracted to short, gestural forms and will move on to new ideas before older ones can develop. This is a characteristic of my composing style that I think about often as I become interested in writing larger works. In this piece however, I chose to embrace it.

Three

I Had A Life

Slow Fade

Written for the Joshua Trio:

Ann Moss, soprano
Emil Miland, cello
Meredith Clarke, harp

Recorded live January 21, 2018 at Noe Valley Ministry, San Francisco California

"Go, lovely Rose"
BY EDMUND WALLER

Go, lovely Rose—
Tell her that wastes her time and me,
That now she knows,
When I resemble her to thee,
How sweet and fair she seems to be.

Tell her that’s young,
And shuns to have her graces spied,
That hadst thou sprung
In deserts where no men abide,
Thou must have uncommended died.

Small is the worth
Of beauty from the light retired:
Bid her come forth,
Suffer herself to be desired,
And not blush so to be admired.

Then die—that she
The common fate of all things rare
May read in thee;
How small a part of time they share
That are so wondrous sweet and fair!

Brian Fitzsousa

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