Notes for Sea of France

Sea of France, composed in 1991, is a favorite of a number of my friends.

In the Fall of 1991, I was visiting Manhattan from my home in LA. One morning I woke up coughing blood. Quite alarmed, I went to see my former internist. It turned out to be only a cold, and the blood had simply come from my nose! Quite relieved, I walked to the Metropolitan Museum, which was only a few blocks away, and found myself sitting down in front of Renoir's Figures By the Sea in the Robert Lehman Wing.The painting shows a young boy and a small white dog playing on the shore, accompanied by his mother and another women. It reminded me of my childhood. That, and the sensation of being so relieved that I wasn't very ill, brought about a serene sensation, and the ostinato figure played by the strings came to me. I wrote down the musical idea, and when I get back to my apartment, I began composing the through-composed music sounded by the piano timbre. Later, I added the playful sounding water bells, and the soothing ocean waves for a richer texture.

Renoir is more commonly known for his sensuality, yet I am also dazzled by his perfect technique and sense of form.

- Michael Robinson, July 1999, Beverly Hills