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The six movements of this work are inspired in part by cubist paintings: Georges Braque’s "Girl with a Cross" (1911), Pablo Picasso’s "Man with a Pipe" (1911), Albert Gleizes’ "Woman with Animals" (1914), Juan Gris’ "Woman with a Mandolin" (1916), Jean Metzinger’s "Woman with a Fan" (1913), and Fernand Leger’s "Man with a Cane" (1920). The six movements of the quartet are my own interpretations of the six subjects’ personalities. My goal was not simply to have a gallery of figures, but rather to create a community of personae, who interact and relate to one another. I think of the six portraits as forming the six sides of a cube – they are components of a single entity. It is to this geometric meaning of the term “face” that the title refers. String Quartet #2 was commissioned and premiered in 2010 by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble.
