Reflections

Reflections is a set of ten solo pieces for classical guitar that focuses on connecting compositional ideas and moments expressed in the framework of each piece of this collection. Vesta, Gaia and Lakshmi assume some connection to mythology as these titles take their names from three notable Roman, Greek and Hindu goddesses. Vesta, Gaia and Lakshmi are classical pieces, but they are not without jazz influence, using the major scale modes to convey a sense of mood and atmosphere that is commonly found in impressionism. Pulse No. 1 and No. 2 follow the idea of maintaining a steady beat over changing meter to influence the way the music is perceived. The melody at the end of Pulse No. 1 creates the melodic material of Pulse No. 2, which can be thought of as an extension to No. 1. Inspired by minimalist and popular music these pieces are not melodically and harmonically complex, and what makes them of interest is how the feeling of the beat is different in each piece. Chiasma Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are pieces that find common ground in "linking," created by using similar compositional devices such as chord shapes and patterns, which gives the impression of crossing over or exchanging information from one piece to another. Sleeping Muse is a three-movement work inspired by the famous 1910 bronze sculpture of Constantin Brancusi's "Sleeping Muse," with each movement expressing some reflection or meditation on Brancusi's work, illustrating the notion of drifting off to sleep, dreaming and waking, while characterizing the impact of our dreams on reality. Synesthesia is a highly chromatic piece with distantly related harmonic progressions that gives the listener the sense of seeing the different colors in the score and/or hearing the colors in the music. The abstract nature of these pieces encourages the performer to reflect and draw their own conclusions of imagery and story within the music.