The Keynote
(2021)
The Keynote is a collection of seven pieces, each inspired by an assortment of curiosities: a painting, a gown, a bird, old photographs and so on… They all sit side by side to create a mini musical library full of whimsical melodies and rippling emotions, that glimmer off the keys of one of the most beloved instruments… The Piano.
Listen Here:
The Keynote:
The Keynote is a piece inspired by and named after this painting by the artist William Chase (1915). The painting depicts a young woman, viewed from behind, playing the piano. When looking at this painting, I always wondered what she might be playing? Had she just finished her practice, or was she about to start? It was this concept that led me to create this piece to fill in that gap. A re-imagined rendering of whatever she could have been playing come to life!
This piece is quite reminiscent of the world of ballet with quite a gentle and elusive sound world that takes you through a series of memory-like moments. Much of the piece consists of octaves giving it a subtle bell like quality as the melody shines through, taking you on a journey through the past…
Cottingley Fairies:
The second piece on the album is called Cottingley Fairies and is inspired by some famous photographs taken in 1917 by two cousins Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths. These photos depicted real life fairies that caught the imagination of the public and a certain writer (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Unfortunately, years later, in the 1980’s, the cousins admitted that the photos had been faked using cardboard cut-outs from children’s books, however Frances remained adamant that the fifth photo was genuine.
This piece lives in a rather twisted but magical sound world, capturing the falsehoods and fakery these cousins fabricated, whilst leaving a little bit of room for the fairies. Repeated notes feature throughout this piece giving it a sense that time is passing, as the truth comes knocking.
The Peacock Dress:
The Peacock Dress is a gown designed for Lady Curzon by the famous designer Jean-Phillipe Worth in 1902. This dress was created out of gold and silver threads and bluey green beetle wing resulting in quite a fashion history masterpiece. However, although this dress is beautiful, its appeal is clouded by the oppression of India, by the British during the era of Imperialism. The dress is now displayed in Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire.
This piece is a rather dazzling dance that is filled with flourishes in the form of glissandi. Just like a peacock, the piece is showy and dramatic, conjuring up the imagery of the wearer dancing across a ballroom as the gown glitters and gleams under the chandelier! Despite the overall sound of the piece being one of flamboyance, darker harmonies feature throughout, in order to represent the rather sordid history concealed between the stiches.
Painting: Lady Curzon wearing ‘The Peacock Dress’ by William Logsdail, 1909.
See the Sky:
The next piece, See the Sky, is much more abstract. This piece is all about hope. You see, when our spirits are low, or we feel downcast and gloomy, we should do our best to look up and See the Sky. We should realise that we will get through whatever it is we are suffering and attempt to see the light at the end of the tunnel. For, without hope, we have nothing.
This piece has a much more contemporary quality to it, with much of the harmony steeped in chromaticism. It starts in the lower registers of the piano, symbolising the weight of despair and despondency. However as the piece continues, gradually the spirits are raised as ‘hope’ comes into play, travelling up into the middle register of the piano. As the sky comes into view and belief is restored a little, the piece shimmers into the higher register of the piano, leaving the listener high above the clouds.
Before Sleep:
Before Sleep is the longest piece on the album, running at 8 minutes. Essentially it is a lullaby that is inspired by the process of falling asleep. What happens in that period before we fall asleep, and why do we never remember it? They say we should get an average of 8 hours of sleep per night which is so difficult in this busy modern world. Perhaps this lullaby will help soothe you and send you off into the stars….
Splendid Fairywren:
The penultimate piece is inspired by a rather stunning bird from Australia, the Splendid Fairywren. Not only does this bird have a marvellous name, but also some beautiful bright blue feathers making it a bird that is incredibly hard to miss and hard to forget! This piece is an ode to how wonderful nature can be and a reminder that we should look after it, because nothing else matters more.
This piece sounds like springtime! Solely focussed on the upper register of the piano, trills, tremolos and tunes resemble the chatter, chirrup and chants of the birds singing! Different melodic cells are repeated and developed, much like that of birdsong! And as the piece draws to a close the repetitions gradually disappear as each bird flies away from the tree!
More Later…
The final piece on the album is rather wryly titled More Later… Ultimately, this piece is nothing more than a short, sweet and pretty conclusion to the album, to round it off nicely and tie it in a bow. The title eludes to more music being in the works (because there is always more music in the works), and for anyone who is an Audrey Hepburn fan… you’ll know where that line appears!
The Album Cover:
Photograph taken by Carlo Villa
Enhanced by Deep Dream Generator
The Dress:
Handmade by Me
All photographs and images used on this page are either my own property, within public domain, or quoted following ‘fair dealing’ guidelines aligned with U.K. copyright law.