Figments and Fragments is an orchestral fantasy on the enigmatic figure of Robert Schumann – a brilliantly gifted composer and writer who ascended to the pinnacle of the music world, only to end his days in an insane asylum.  The work starts with a favorite form of Schumann’s – a set of linked character pieces –gradually allowing the cracks between the pieces to expand and overwhelm the narrative.  The piece ends with chilling evocation of the composer’s final paralysis.

Excerpt from “Emergence,” part one of “Figments and Fragments”