On the surface, it is a "sequel" to I Found it in the Woods, my flute/viola/harp trio from 2006.The shapes of the opening themes are clearly related. Musically and emotionally, how- ever, I think they are quite different. Sea makes its structure more obvious by creating space and resolution in between its variations; in this way it feels more stately and classical. It also allows for greater expressive range within each variation, making them more varied and colorful and, in the end, not a little unsettling.

Both Found pieces are related to Brahms's chamber music, in that I simply took musical objects from various works and recontextualized them in my own. I Found it by the Sea makes this relationship even more explicit. I found it impossible to write a piano quartet without paying homage in some way to Brahms's Op. 25 (which I first heard 11 years ago and remains my benchmark for great chamber music). I noticed a similarity between the theme of I Found it in the Woods to the piano theme about 10 bars into the Brahms quartet and mashed the two of them together, creating the theme for, in a sense, my Variations on a Theme by Brahms.

In the end of the piece, I set Brahms's original theme as a "trope" or echo of my own.This gesture was a way to "work out" Brahms's huge influence on me, by pretending that it was actually I who influenced Brahms.

The mixture is something I've noticed time and again in my own work (though American born, I am culturally entirely British) without ever consciously placing it there. When I came to making a selection of pieces by John Dowland for this set of arrangements I became aware that Dowland needed to be added to that list of laughing and crying Brits - he is of course famous for his melancholy songs (of which I have included two beautiful examples) but when not in mournful mode his music is light and witty. Even the titles conjur comical images: "My Lady Hundson's Puffe" and "Mrs. Winters' Jump." What it is about us British that delights in this mixture of tragedy and laughter I am not sure, but it certainly goes back a long way.

Flower clusters enchant the beholder with pale colors of red, purple, yellow, white and blue, all with a yellow eye. The inspiration for this piece was a reading of the first string quartet I wrote for Metropolis. The original premise was to compose a string quartet derived from material from "Within Her Arms," a string ensemble piece that Metropolis will perform in May 2010.

The reading taught me two valuable lessons. Firstly, to write each piece fresh and anew - leaning back on older pieces can create lifeless music. I'm in a different space to where I was a year ago, when I was writing Within Her Arms. Secondly, I realized what an influence actually knowing the musicians I'm writing for has on my music. Having a sense of the musicians both individually and as an ensemble can really influence a piece and its direction. As a result of hearing my initial string quartet, I decided to start anew with fresh material and writing with Kristin, Sean, Maurycy, and Nicholas in mind.