Scored for the Da Capo Chamber Players (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano), Portraits is a series of tributes to the memories of musicians who were close to me, as well as to the players of Da Capo. The portraits are of: Nicholas Maw; Milton Babbitt; David Golub; George Perle; Laura Flax.  

For the composers, I incorporated aspects of their musical personalities into their tributes; for the tribute to pianist David Golub, I created a portrait based on a Schubert impromptu that he frequently played as an encore; for the clarinetist Laura Flax, who was a longtime member of Da Capo, I composed a movement in which the clarinet is the soloist, in an intimate meditation that brings the entire work to a close.

This is a deeply personal project, but one that I hope will speak to the larger musical community, many of whom who knew and loved these musicians.
Bruce Adolphe