CD57

CD57: Waves, Relentless
     and other piano works 
I Ching Cycles for solo piano

Opus 298  Waves & Relentless an I Ching cycle for solo piano
Opus 297  Almost Relentless an I Ching cycle for solo piano

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Released: May 24, 2021

Program Notes:

From the Composer:

RB: (May 24, 2021) Because of a computer crash back in the fall of 2020, I am releasing things as they are done, even if they are out of order. I want things "backed-up" in as many ways as possible, which releasing to the public does for sure. This CD has been ready for over a month. A great deal of why I am sticking to the order I have planed is because of the symbology of the number, currently I am working on CD56 which is the second part of the release I did with CD 28. I think this is a terrific relationship 28 x 2 = 56 . . .

The last release was CD54 the short works of based on The Mindset, Op. 242, My duets CD55 currently needs some re-records, and CD56 Particles currently needs just three more tracks mastered (out of 65!) I am currently also trying to get the sheet music out for Opus's 270 - 279; shooting for one a day this week.

About the Music:

The idea of an I Ching Cycle has taken on real specific meaning to me.
It is a full set of the 64 played in the Shau Yung circle pattern which rises almost unnoticeably through all 64 keys. As the pitch rises, the speed gradually increases, and the rhythms constantly change.
Many of these micro-tone tonalities are ones that we are not exposed to very often, so I think of this music as sort of a vitamin pill of colors that are not in our normal auditory diet.
I recorded the piano, then spliced the recording into it's 65 parts and tuned each part.
The natural harmonics series are equally spaced. If the fundamental is 10 hertz, the octaves are 20, 40, 80, 160 etc. between 20 & 40 there is one tone ; the fifth (30). but between the octaves 640 & 1280 there are 63 tones, and this is what I use for the 64 different tonalities of an I Ching Cycle.
it was hard work tuning both I Ching Cycles; each one takes about four hours of concentrated time.

The other music on the CD is ALL of my other solo piano music.

Angelic Vision, Op 34 was written for pianist Sarah Cahill, who performed on the Trinity Chamber Concerts series quite a few times when I was manager of the series.
Composer John Adams wrote his work Phrygian Gates for her too. There was a time when Sarah was performing John's work and she needed a page turner for the concert. She said I would be fine turning the pages, but I found it almost impossible to follow. I watched the low and high notes on the score, and got through it, but I am sure I was a distraction to her! And Mr. Adams was in the audience; argh!

The Eleven Major Pairs for solo piano, Op. 142c is in eleven movements, and I approach each pair of triads as I do my scales with the contrasting tonal harmonic rows. I consider this to be a significant work. Movements one & nine have been arranged for horn quartet, as part of my Horn Quartet No.8, Op. 305 on CD53.

Each movement uses only the tones of two different major triads:

I. C and G Major (Moderato, After L. Young)
II. C and Eb Major (Freely)
III. C and E Major (The best tempo)
IV. C and Ab Major (Allegro after Poulenc)
V. C and F# Major (Allegro Mod'to with Vigor, after G, Crumb)
VI. C and Bb Major (Fast)
VII. C and A Major (Slow)
VIII. C and B Major (Allegro moderato)
IX. C and F Major (Allegro moderato: Maestoso - Dolce)
X. C and D Major (Cantabile)
XI. C and C# Major (Happy Birds)

Cover Photo : a collage of laser light reflecting off the sound proofing in my studio by R Burdick

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About the Recording:

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About the Performer:

Richard Burdick as a musician:
French hornist: Richard O. Burdick is the first horn of Regina Symphony Orchestra and the Regina Symphony Chamber Players in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is a prolific composer.

His move to Canada in 2003, with his wife Rebecca and his two boys, marked the start of the fourth major period in his musical Career.

In the 1980’s Richard was first Horn of Napa Symphony, a member of a San Francisco based theater orchestra and played lots of chamber music as manager of Trinity Chamber Concerts, a chamber music series in Berkeley California.

Starting in 1990 he played fourth Horn full-time for Sacramento Symphony, which went bankrupt in 1996. He then won auditions for Fresno Philharmonic, Napa & North State Symphonies and played in Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera.

He is a prolific composer and has many self produced CD’s of his own compositions, Bach, his classical natural horn playing and multi-track performances of many of his favorite pieces.

He performs on a variety of horns, a baroque natural horn (1720), a classical era natural horn (1800), a romantic era (1840's) natural horn, a single F horn from the 1880's, his main symphony horn is a Brendan Model Finke triple horn.

He has also done many music related jobs such as arranger for Sacramento Symphony, librarian and personal manager for Sacramento Philharmonic, and manager of Trinity Chamber Concerts (chamber music series) in Berkeley, California for 19 years starting in 1984.

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Bar codes:

UPC-12-728488426135-CD57

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