"On Picasso" horn quartet by Brett Miller explores the themes and styles of the works of Pablo Picasso over the course of his varied and illustrious career as one of the Twentieth Century's most important visual artists. The work is in three movements, each of which is inspired by a single work. "La Vie" (1903, oil on canvas) is a seminal work from the Blue Period; "Le pigeon aux petits pois" (1911, oil on canvas) was painted at the height of Picasso's Cubist period; and "La Ronde de la Jeunesse" (1959/1961, lithographs after color drawings) are gesture drawings in color representing the lively later works. The movements progress from inward to outward, like Picasso's works and life, with moods that begin as introspective and darkly brooding, becoming charming and eccentric, and finally blossoming into lines and colors that are lively, joyous, and hopeful.
Brett Miller is a member of the quintet Brass Mosaic, and has played with the National Symphony Orchestra and Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. He received his MM in horn performance from Indiana University and his DMA from University of Maryland. His graduate minor at IU was in composition where he studied with David Dzubay and Sven-David Sandstrom. He is currently Principal Horn of the United States Air Force Band, Washington, DC.
