Michael Robinson

Sea of France

Cover is hand silkscreened paper from Japan

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1. Sea of France (1991) 59:51

meruvina: piano, strings, waterbells, ocean waves

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Composed, Programmed, Mixed, Designed and Produced by Michael Robinson

Recorded and Mastered by Catharine Wood at Planetwood Studios

Sea of France, composed in 1991, is a favorite of several friends. In the autumn of 1991, I was visiting Manhattan from my home in Los Angeles. 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! Riding waves of relief, I walked to the Metropolitan Museum, which was only a few blocks away, and found myself sitting down in front of Renoir's Figures on the Beach in the Robert Lehman Wing. The painting shows a young boy and a small white dog at the beach accompanied by his mother and another women, perhaps his grandmother. It brought back fond memories of my childhood. Those recollections, together with the sensation of relief upon learning I wasn't very ill, brought about a serene mood, and the ostinato figure played by the strings came to me.  Figures on the Beach by Pierre-Auguste Renoir Borrowing some paper and pencil, I wrote down the musical idea, and upon returning to my apartment began composing the through-composed music sounded by the piano timbre. Later on, in the realization phase, I added the playful sounding water bells, and the soothing ocean waves for a richer texture. Pierre-Auguste 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  © 1999 by Michael Robinson All rights reserved