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. Thank you to the 2023 Fromm Players for premiering Burn as Brightly as part of the Piece-a-Day Project at Tanglewood Music Center.