Inspired by Georgian polyphony and the writings of Rabindranath Tagore, the music on this album was composed between 2017 and 2018 and performed by the Talea ensemble. Available for purchase at Centaur Records
From the River Flow the Stars
Composed between March 2015 - February 2017 From the River Flow the Stars is a collection of string quartets performed by the Daedalus Quartet available for purchase through MSR Music
Poems to Sing At Night
Composed between 2014 and 2015, the works on this CD are solo piano pieces performed by Brian and recorded at Futura Studios in Boston. Available for purchase through iTunes and amazon.
Stone of Traveling Winds
A collection of original works of romantic lyricism and uncompromising intensity inspired by Georgian folk music and contemporary composers of the 20th century. Released in July of 2014. Stone of Traveling Winds is available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon.
I often compose music in collections. The works contained in each collection share similar programatic and musical narratives. Each collection I have composed is listed below. Click for songs to see the respectively contained works for each collection.
Chamber Orchestras, Concertos, Symphonic Works
Shadows from an Underwater Forest (orchestra) 10 minutes, 2006
*finalist in the II International Lepo Sumera Composition Competition in Tallinn, Estonia
*2nd Prize in the 2006 MTNA Composition Competition
Prayer for an Unnamed Grave (piano concerto) 12 minutes, 2007
*finalist in the 2007 Queen Elisabeth Composition Competition in Brussels
Arrows from a Bow of Burning Gold (flute and string orchestra) 10 minutes, 2007
*finalist in the 2007 International Haifa Composition Competition
Tombs of Sandici (orchestra) 12 minutes, 2007
*Winner of the 2008 Boston University Soloist Composition Competition
Avalanche of Light (violin concerto) 12 minutes, 2008
Lantern of Eternal Flame (chamber orchestra), 2008
Fortress of the Fallen in 2 movements (octet) 15 minutes, 2009
commissioned by the ALEA III New Music Ensemble
Bells Bourne of a Cedar Tree (Bassoon Concerto) in 4 movements, 15 minutes, 2009
Twilight of Crystals and Fire (piano concerto) 9 minutes, 2009
Whirlpool Clouds in 3 movements (bass concerto) 12 minutes, 2010
Flashed the Crystals of Air in 2 movements (large chamber ensemble) 14 minutes, 2010
Songs of Transcendence and Metamorphosis in 4 movements (full orchestra) 16 minutes, 2011
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 2 in 3 movements (violin concerto) 15 minutes, 2011
Acanthus Leaves No. 1 in 4 movements (chamber orchestra) 10 minutes, 2012
Acanthus Leaves No. 3 in 4 movements (full orchestra) 16 minutes, 2012
Life and Opinions No. 2 in 2 movements (piano concerto) 12 minutes, 2012
Chamber Ensembles and Quartets
Icy Silence of the Salamander Fire (2 pianos and percussion) 8 minutes, 2006
*finalist in the 2007 Robert Helps Competition
*1st place in the 2007 MTNA Composition Competition
From Wind to Light (Clarinet in Bb and String Quartet) 10 minutes, 2009
Dedication Radiance in 3 movements (sextet) 12 minutes, 2009
The Red Helm and Silver Sea in 3 movements (string quartet) 12 minutes, 2010
Impossible Encounters in 4 movements (string quartet) 16 minutes, 2011
*finalist in the 2nd International N.Y. Mydskovsky Competition in Moscos
Acanthus Leaves No. 1 in 4 movements (chamber orchestra) 10 minutes, 2012
Acanthus Leaves No. 2 in 3 movements (string quartet) 16 minutes, 2012li>
Romance and Descent No. 5 in 5 movements (chamber ensemble) 10 minutes, 2012
Life and Opinions No. 3 in 4 movements (string quartet) 10 minutes, 2012
Acanthus Leaves No. 4 in 4 movements (string quartet) 12 minutes, 2013
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 6 in 4 movements (flute, string trio, vibes, piano) 12 minutes, 2013
From the River Flow the Stars No.5 in 3 movements (flute, Oboe, Cl, string quartet) 2015
Poems to Sing at Night in 3 movements (chamber orchestra) 2017
Duos and Trios
Garden of Fire (piano trio) 10 minutes, 2006
*finalist in the 2006 International Robert Helps Composition Competition
Golden Leaves of a Silver Tree in 5 movements (piano trio) 15 minutes, 2008
Ode to a Soundless Light in 3 movements (Violin and Piano) 12 minutes, 2009
Winds and Tide of the Eclipse in 3 movements (piano trio) 12 minutes, 2010
Crystal Mirrors in 4 movements (flute and vibraphone) 10 minutes, 2010
Vase of Shimmering Echoes in 3 movements (violin and cello) 10 minutes, 2010
Masts in the Winds of Time in 4 movements (cello and piano) 15 minutes, 2010
Table Games in 4 movements (clarinet and piano) 12 minutes, 2010
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 1 in 4 movements (violin and piano) 16 minutes, 2011
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 3 in 5 movements (violin and marimba) 10 minutes, 2011
Life and Opinions No. 1 in 4 movements (cello and piano) 12 minutes, 2012
Romance and Descent No. 3 in 6 movements (string trio) 10 minutes, 2012
Romance and Descent No. 4 in 4 movements (oboe and piano) 10 minutes, 2012
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 4 in 4 movements (viola and harpsichord) 10 minutes, 2012
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 5 in 5 movements (flute and piano) 12 minutes, 2012
From the River Flow the Stars No. 1 in 4 movements (cello and percussion) 7 minutes, 2013
From the River Flow the Stars No. 4 in 4 movements (viola and percussion) 8 minutes, 2013
From the River Flow the Stars No.7 in 3 movements (cello and piano) 2016
From the River Flow the Stars No.8 in 3 movements (piano trio) 2016
Life and Opinions No. 4 in 3 movements (violin and piano) 12 minutes, 2013
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 8 in 4 movements (bass and piano) 12 minutes, 2013
Stone of Traveling Winds No. 7 in 5 movements (harp trio) 12 minutes, 2013
Maze of Infinite Forms No.2 in 3 movements (flute and harp) 2016
Maze of Infinite Forms No.3 in 3 movements (piano trio) 2016
Maze of Infinite Forms No.4 in 3 movements (piano trio) 2017
Maze of Infinite Forms No.5 in 3 movements (piano trio) 2017
Solo Works
Realms of Gold (solo bass) 7 minutes, 2006
Voices of Water in 4 movements (solo piano) 10 minutes, 2009
Sky and the Endless Sun in 3 movements (solo piano) 8 minutes, 2010
From the River Flow the Stars No. 2 in 3 movements (solo viola) 8 minutes, 2013
From the River Flow the Stars No. 3 in 3 movements (solo piano) 6 minutes, 2013
Life and Opinions No. 5 in 3 movements (solo piano) 10 minutes, 2014
Poems to Sing at Night No.1 in 4 movements (solo piano) 8 minutes, 2014
Poems to Sing at Night No.2 in 4 movements (solo piano) 10 minutes, 2014
Stone of Traveling Winds No.9 in 3 movements (solo piano) 8 minutes, 2015
Beyond the Mountains, Beneath the Clouds in 3 movements (solo piano) 8 minutes, 2015
Vocal Music
Heavens Blue and Shining in 4 movements (tenor and piano) 10 minutes, 2009
Land of Beauty in 5 movements (tenor and piano) 10 minutes, 2011
Fantasy of Temptation in 4 movements (soprano, viola, piano) 10 minutes, 2013
Life and Opinions
Life and Opinions is another book of compositions inspired by the protagonist of E.T.A. Hoffman’s novel Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr. Each work of this book consists of a musical dialogue between contrasting ideas. The moods of these dialogues blend the contrasts of peace and chaos, vigor and lethargy, elation and despair, with an overall tinge of wonder and curiosity.
No. 1 in 4 movements (cello and piano) 12 minutes, 2012
No. 2 in 2 movements (piano concerto) 12 minutes, 2012
No. 3 in 4 movements (string quartet) 10 minutes, 2012
No. 4 in 3 movements (violin and piano) 12 minutes, 2013
No. 5 in 3 movements (solo piano) 10 minutes, 2014
No. 7 in 5 movements (string quartet), 10 minutes 2016
Acanthus Leaves
In E.T.A Hoffman’s novel The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr, the tomcat Murr creates a collection of his most profound thoughts, of which he himself could not understand, under the title of Acanthus Leaves. My attempts to reflect Murr’s wonderful and ineffable thoughts are reflected in the organically developed themes and motives of these pieces. The treatment of motivic development my pieces in this book is specific to each instrument, register, and location of occurrence. My goal in treating musical material as such is to create a sense of disorder within cohesion. These works often combine the serene and sublime with the insatiable volatility of fire.
No. 1 in 4 movements (chamber orchestra) 10 minutes, 2012
No. 2 in 3 movements (string quartet) 16 minutes, 2012
No. 3 in 4 movements (full orchestra) 16 minutes, 2012
No. 4 in 4 movements (string quartet) 12 minutes, 2013
No. 6 in 3 movements (string quartet), 12 minutes, 2015
Romance and Descent
The book of Romance and Descent contains compositions inspired by the philosophic ideology of Thomas Mann and the growth and progression of life from a bottomless past. The thematic material of these works is often recycled in many different forms throughout the different movements. The “recycling” of ideas is representative of the affect the past has on the present and present’s foundation for the future. The works contained in this book are somber, but hopeful, a buoyantdark light, grasping for a better future.
No. 1 in 4 movements (cello and percussion) 7 minutes, 2013
No. 2 in 3 movements (solo viola) 8 minutes, 2013
No. 3 in 3 movements (solo piano) 6 minutes, 2013
No. 4 in 4 movements (viola and percussion) 8 minutes, 2013
From the River Flow the Stars
Drawing inspiration from ancient Japanese poetry, From the River Flow the Stars is a book of short compositions exploring the mysteries of nature, the hypnotic trance of solitude, and the inward contemplation of one’s existence. The compositions in this book contain short poems to be read following respective movements.
No. 1 in 4 movements (cello and percussion), 7 minutes, 2013
No. 2 in 3 movements (solo viola) 8 minutes, 2013
No. 3 in 3 movements (solo piano) 6 minutes, 2013
No. 4 in 4 movements (viola and percussion), 8 minutes, 2013
No. 5 in 3 movements (chamber orchestra), 12 minutes, 2014
No. 6 in 3 movements (string quartet), 12 minutes, 2015
No. 7 in 3 movements (cello and piano), 10 minutes, 2016
No. 8 in 3 movements (piano trio), 10 minutes, 2016
Stone of Traveling Winds
The compositions contained in the book of Stone of Traveling Winds explore musical developments involving a thematic element weathered by surrounding subject material. The imagery and music is representative of the title, a stone changed over time by its surrounding environment. Most of the works in this book feature a soloist with accompaniment and are composed in a somber and contemplative mood.
No. 1 in 4 movements (violin and piano) 16 minutes, 2011
No. 2 in 3 movements (violin concerto) 15 minutes, 2011
No. 3 in 5 movements (violin and marimba) 10 minutes, 2011
No. 4 in 4 movements (viola and harpsichord) 10 minutes, 2012
No. 5 in 5 movements (flute and piano) 12 minutes, 2012
No. 6 in 4 movements (flute, string trio, vibes, piano) 12 minutes, 2013
No. 7 in 5 movements (harp trio) 12 minutes, 2013
No. 8 in 4 movements (bass and piano) 12 minutes, 2013
No. 9 in 3 movements (solo piano) 8 minutes, 2015
Maze of Infinite Forms
Maze of Infinite Forms is a book of compositions based around the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore. The music in this collection reflects the spontaneous surrender of discovery and the vivid yet beautifully simplistic imagery in the poet’s works. Through large and small-scale developmental variation, a maze of thematic material is explored to provide a cohesive story of ever-changing direction. The music should be played in a romantic and intense style.
No. 1 in 2 movements (string quartet) 10 minutes, 2015
No. 2 in 6 movements (flute and harp) 10 minutes, 2016
No. 3 in 3 movements (piano trio) 9 minutes, 2016
No. 4 in 5 movements (piano trio) 12 minutes, 2017
No. 5 in 3 movements (piano trio) 12 minutes, 2017
Poems to Sing at Night
Poems to Sing at Night is a collection of compositions inspired by original poetry. The influence of the poems is heard in the cadence, rhythmic and melodic flow, and shape of the music. Much of the music of this set contains folk-song elements and is composed in reverence to the simplistic beauty of isolation and meditation.
No.1 in 4 movements (piano solo) 8 minutes, 2014
No.2 in 4 movements (piano solo) 8 minutes, 2014
No.3 in 4 movements (violin and piano) 12 minutes, 2015
No.4 in 3 movements (chamber orchestra) 15 minutes, 2017