Dreamer's Path - Live Concert!

[Cobalt Katze]

Well peoples, I recently got the opportunity to write and perform a 30 minute concept piece that was basically all inspired by a dream I had about a year ago. This was performed last March 22nd at my college. All live instruments. Three songs with vocals, the rest are instrumental or recorded sounds. I really hope you enjoy them.

Also, please download once so my bandwidth is preserved

The following are links to the mp3s and the program notes I wrote up.

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1
The Lives of Trees

Bass, Frame Drum, Vibraphone, Bell, Elec. Violin

The path begins with the trees themselves. They are a community of
beings that is the constant throughout the majority of the path. In the
piece, the instruments themselves symbolize the trees and their
connection with the planet. The drum begins the internal rhythm of the
planet that later emerges as a more stable beat. The bass enters and
remains constant throughout the piece, the steady trunk. The bell and
vibraphone begin a back and forth progression of sorts through the
first half of the piece as branches moving through the air. The
vibraphone is constantly changing notes, however the bell remains
consonant with the trunk, connected with the stability. During the
second half, the violin enters as a constantly moving wind brushing
through the branches of the vibraphone and bell. The piece then fades
to a conclusion with no resolution, as there is no true ending in a
concept so cyclical.

2
Where the Firebugs Fly

Baritone, Elec. Violin, Vibraphone, Bass, Frame Drum

The moon slips by with a star close at hand,
The firebugs fly, fly
My sword stands poised ‘till that first brilliant note,
And the firebugs fly, fly

In the forest so calm and secure,
What tragedy could likely occur?
This is my home, though my choice it is not,
Yet the firebugs fly, fly

The first rays of light come down through the trees,
The firebugs fly, fly
Small dots and lines stare at me from the page,
And the firebugs fly, fly

Surrounded by shades of green,
The tiny lights flicker and dim
The day is at hand, though my friends cease to stand,
Yet the firebugs fly, fly

I lie in shade from the branches so grand,
The firebugs fly, fly
My life, it fades, the quill falls from my hand,
And the firebugs fly, fly

In a circle of white flower’d trees,
I wait with my mind in the breeze
Let reality pass, my fears rise to the sky,
Where the firebugs fly, fly
The firebugs fly, fly

In this song, the voice of the Dreamer’s subconscious speaks to us
during the deep sleep that happens before dreams occur. He describes
that night has fallen in reality, but in the dream state it is as if a
new day has begun. The process of creating a dream is likened to that
of writing a piece of music. The scribe of the dream passes away as his
creation rises into the next stage of sleep, a place where anything can
be interpreted as mystical and amazing.

3
[url=http://www.ravennaventures.com/cd/03-Interlude%20I%20-%20'Birds'%20~%20The%20Dreamer%20Arrives.mp3]Interlude I - ‘Birds’[/url]

Field recording

Birds converse in a counterpoint of calls and responses within the
forest of the dream. They display the same variety of poly rhythms used
in the pieces to follow, setting the stage for natural interpretations
of that which is conceived by the mind.

4
The Dreamer Arrives
(Same track as Interlude I)

Flute I, Flute II, Elec. Violin, Vibraphone, Bass, Frame Drum, Shaker

A series of ostinatos are established, building a texture as the sun
rises within the dream. Additionally, a poly rhythm of 2 against 3 is
established between the flutes and the rest of the ensemble. The sun
rises and fills the closed eyes of the Dreamer as he sits in a bed of
leaves at the edge of a tree trunk. Eventually, he opens his eyes to
the light and the rhythm shifts to a unity of a meter in 3. The music
drifts off as he stands up and looks around the area. He calls out, a
question handled by a single non-repeating melodic line in the violin
towards the tail end of the piece. The frame drum and shaker continue
moving as he begins to wander, eventually bringing the piece to a
close.

5
[url=http://www.ravennaventures.com/cd/04-Interlude%20II%20-%20'River'.mp3]Interlude II - ‘River’[/url]

Field recording

The eternal constant of a river. At first it seems as if it were
simply white noise, but listening closer brings out individual drops of
water as they fall through the stream. It is also by a river where the
Dreamer met a group of nomads on a journey to the great world tree
Yggdrasil.

6
March to Yggdrasil

Flute I, Flute II, Vibraphone, Bass

Primarily a flute duet, the nomads and the Dreamer begin a often
lopsided march through the remainder of the forest. The nomads are lead
by an odd tall man that tells an incomprehensible story as they travel
forwards, shaping the lopsided stride.

7
[url=http://www.ravennaventures.com/cd/06-Interlude%20III%20-%20'Traveling'.mp3]Interlude III - ‘Traveling’[/url]

Field recording

The journey continues unaccompanied by music or storytelling. Elements
from the previous Interludes are combined in an experiment of traveling
between sources of sound and their effects on the stereo interpretation
of them by the stationary listener. They do not rotate, but instead the
world rotates around them. In the background, planes are heard which
could hint at the artificial nature of the dream world.

8
Edge of the Forest & Sight of the Tree

Frame Drum, Vibraphone, Violin, Bass, Baritone, Voices

The nomads begin to quicken their pace as they sight the edge of the
forest drawing near. Some of the numbers are lost as they race towards
their goal, but those that are steadfast and strong keep up. Eventually
they reach the end and slow their pace as they enter the fields
surrounding Yggdrasil. They begin singing together in a wordless melody
as they spread out into the distance.

At this point, the audience is encouraged to be the voices of the
nomads and join in singing the melody below once the Baritone begins.
It can be sung in any octave. Elaborations and harmonies based on it
are also encouraged.

Eventually, the instruments and voices begin to die out as the nomads
spread so far part so as to only leave the Dreamer, approaching the
tree.

9
The Man With the Silver Spoon

Baritone, Elec. Violin

The man he came with a silver spoon
To feed the trees and grass
The man he slept ‘till after noon
And gathered his things up fast

The tree it grew as he waved goodbye
The grass would not let him pass
The man let out a heavy sigh
Until there came a brilliant flash

A woman stood with flowing gown
And gave him a cup of warm soup
‘This is your home ‘till I let you down’
She said as she vanished too soon

The sun filled the sky
The man closed his eyes
And the soup filled his belly again

In his mind he would fly
He let cares pass him by
In the paradise he dreamt up instead

A creation myth of sorts that the Dreamer hears as he approaches the
grand tree. It could be said perhaps that it is also the myth of his
own life and of the dream he currently walks within.

0
The Dreamer Awakes

Various recordings
Features the piano piece Shattered Response

As the Dreamer walks up the spiral staircase along the edge of the
trunk, the birds from before continue to call out. A police siren also
is heard, further beginning to break down the illusion the dream. He
grows anxious, quickening his pace to find the true meaning of his
journey. An even steeper staircase leads inside the tree itself, stairs
echoing into nothing. Back in the real world, a CD alarm clock goes
off. The music within it starts up as the covers are pulled off and the
Dreamer, now awake, steps out of his room. Hard wood floors creak,
relating back to the third Interlude where the Dreamer stepped upon
twigs in the forest. He nears the front door and birds outside are
heard chirping slightly. As he approaches his room again, he emerges
into the room of the recording, standing beside the man playing the
piano. As the piece comes to its conclusion, the unsatisfied resolve of
the real world drives the Dreamer to slam the door shut, halting all
further noise.

[Doot]

~guiltily downloaded them all~ I highly suggest everyone list to them back to back.

Leif you have done such an excellent job. You MUST let me know what the professors say.