Burn as Brightly

Burn as Brightly (2023) was inspired by and titled after a quote by playwright George Bernard Shaw: “I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” The main musical motive of Burn as Brightly is borrowed from the Prelude of J.S. Bach’s Partita No. 3 in E Major for solo violin, making this piece a musical descendant, in the spirit of Shaw’s mission to connect with future generations of artists. The original violin and cello version of Burn as Brightly was premiered by the 2023 Fromm Players as part of the Piece-a-Day Project at Tanglewood Music Center. Thank you to Giovanna Virgil and Mark Northup for premiering this saxophone duo version at the 2024 U.S. Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium.