This 6 movement concert work on OCTAVES Music has been released as a 45 minute album — please see the links below — and is up for nomination for an award. The published score, and libretto, is forthcoming.
The impetus to complete the full concert work, and particularly an opera, was given steam by applying to a graduate degree program in music technology and composition – and by the concept I came up with! Although I was not accepted to the program, because of the effort, I completed in a shorter time my most significant classical composition to date. I was determined to fully realize the cosmological concept, no matter what difficulties going on.
The result I’m labeling it modern classical, because the idea of an opera and its structure is traditional and archaic, yet the subject matter and instrumentation are decidedly modern. The instrumentation is ‘electroacoustic’ in that some lines were recorded with voice and instruments, or electronic versions of orchestral instruments that could be performed acoustically, and others with electronic instruments like synthesizer.
The characters are embodiments of natural forces and celestial bodies, on through organisms, people, computers and AI, to collective consciousness. It should be well noted that I had GPT AI assist in writing some of the lyrics, which really helped me get into the groove of what initially seemed like a very large project, and it was. As I got more comfortable though I returned to my own lyric writing. All of the instruments, parts and recording were performed by me, although intended for larger performance realization outside of the recording. It is largely improvised around interconnected melodic lines and plot themes and moods, so definitely some jazz influence there. The vocals are performed in different styles and effects to denote different characters, and certainly exploring octaves.
It is a broad sweeping vision of idealistic evolution and cosmic synergy, naturally reflective of my current imagination, knowledge, spirituality and philosophy. I’d like to think I have created something beautiful to experience, that could of course be staged as an opera in lots of interesting ways, and no doubt with some interesting costumes.
