Whisperings solo piano concert12/30/2023 Behind the Songs 1) Rhythm of the Rain- Early one morning, the sky was dark and the clouds looked heavy, it felt like rain. An artistic package that conveys the music is so important. Seeing the CD in black reminded me of my old records, so we designed it to look like a 45 record, which tied the vintage feel with my idea of music as a souvenir perfectly! Even though digital music diminishes the need for a physical CD copy, I feel the artwork is a big part of the album. My graphic designer, Matt Strieby of New Leaf Design, was able to capture my idea perfectly! Deciding to keep the CD graphics simple, the first proof was a solid black CD with just my name and title. I liked these vintage suitcases and had the idea of old sheet music laying on top. When I began looking at images, I wanted the concept to reflect travels, memories and souvenirs while conveying the musical aspect. I hope the music takes you somewhere memorable! The Album Artwork I never really have a visual concept of the image I want for the album until I am actually finished recording. Every album I create is a musical journey and the songs are souvenirs. Each song has particular meaning to me, a memory, feeling or image. I chose the title Souvenirs because a souvenir is a memento or keepsake, but the object is only significant to the owner because of the memories attached to it. For many, hearing a certain song can remind you of a place or time in your life, recalling memories and stirring emotions. In the months following, the bits and pieces of melodies and variations began fitting together like a giant puzzle, until I had nearly 25 songs to record! Finally, in April 2014, I recorded at Piano Haven in beautiful Sedona on a magnificent Shigeru Kawai! After recording, I had to narrow it down to 14 songs which I felt belonged together on this album. As always, dealing with these difficult emotions resulted in lots of time on the piano, inspiring new compositions reflecting a myriad of emotions. Then, the loss of a dear friend to cancer, and the new diagnosis of this disease in close family members prompted me to take a step back and postpone the recording. When I sat down to practice a piece, I ended up writing down new ideas, until I had a complete binder full of music! As my recording date for fall 2013 approached, I was overwhelmed with this collection of mostly unfinished songs. Several songs on this album were written before the new piano arrived, but I found myself composing variations of this music, while also composing new pieces from beginning to end. However, I experienced a new surge of creativity, fueled by my new piano, a Kawai RX-7, with it's rich tone and incredible depth of sound, allowing me to express my feelings on the piano with a new freedom. Like all my albums, the writing came from many emotions and experiences, from feelings of joy and sadness, to gratitude and nostalgia. SOUVENIRS - solo piano About the Music The making of this CD was an interesting process for me.
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