CKORN

Guiding Light

Written: 2005-06/2023-25
Duration: ca. 33'
for orchestra (3 (dbl Pic.), 3 (dbl Eng. Hn.), 3 (dbl Bass Cl.), 3 (dbl C-bsn.); 4,3,3,1; timp +3; hp; kybd; strings)
Written for JoAnn Falletta and Mostly Modern Orchestra in honor of Mostly Modern Festival’s fifth season
For more information: https://robertpaterson.com/journey-of-a-dragonfly
Video: https://youtu.be/hZOVmC9R82M

PROGRAM NOTE
As a child, my parents vacationed at a summer cottage in Maine by a small lake. Often by myself, I would sit on a giant boulder and watch the lake and the wildlife for hours.

One day, a beautiful bright-winged dragonfly flew across the lake and hovered before me. I was startled and intrigued: its long, slender blue body glistened in the sunlight. Finally, it began to fly around the perimeter of the lake. It stopped every few minutes and hovered in place, almost as if waiting for me to follow it. I followed the dragonfly until sunset, imagining a world in which only the dragonfly existed, on its own terms, within its own world.

Years later, I hiked around the Niagara Gorge near Niagara Falls and explored Devil’s Hole Park. There is an opening on the side of a cliff called Devil’s Hole Cave. Interestingly, early Native Americans called it the Cave of the Evil Spirit and foretold subsequent disaster to anyone who dared enter the cave. The combination of the lake, the dragonfly, and Devil’s Hole Cave all came together and helped crystalize the idea for this work.

Journey of a Dragonfly begins as the sun rises; a foreboding darkness looms in the background, contrasting the Dragonfly’s graceful entrance into a world filled with the excitement of being alive. A gust of wind carries dandelion seeds skyward alongside butterflies and rainbow-colored wildflowers. Butterflies land on flowers before the Dragonfly ventures through a dark forest and emerges, only to be chased by five blackbirds. Weaving back and forth to try and escape, the Dragonfly flies into a narrow crevice as two of the blackbirds collide with trees. While still being chased, the three remaining birds retreat as the Dragonfly discovers a dark hole leading to a tunnel. The dragonfly speeds down the ghoulish tunnel and emerges at the end of the tunnel at the side of a cliff, hovering in place. It looks around in horror and sees a gigantic cavern and then Devil Town. After flying through Devil Town and witnessing tortured souls, a bomb factory, Attorney Alley, and the Devil’s Saloon, off in the distance, the Dragonfly sees Satan’s House on a hill and decides to explore. The Dragonfly enters the house and sees the Devil Child, the Devil Mother, and the Devil himself. Suddenly, the Devil Child catches the Dragonfly in a glass jar as the parents prepare dinner in the kitchen. The Dragonfly eventually manages to escape, only to be chased by the Devil Child and then by a group of hellish bats. After a chaotic chase, the Dragonfly finds the tunnel and speeds back toward the world above. Finally free, the Dragonfly finds a flat rock to rest. The tale concludes as the Dragonfly falls asleep, the sun sets by the lake, and the evening fades to black.

Journey of a Dragonfly was written for JoAnn Falletta and Mostly Modern Orchestra in honor of Mostly Modern Festival’s fifth season.

– RP

Movements:
1. The Lake: Sunrise
2. Dragonfly’s Entrance
3. Chase: Blackbirds
4. Descent Into The Underworld
5. Devil Town
6. Satan’s House
7. Trapped
8. Kitchen
9. Escape
10. Chase: Bats
11. Ascent To The World Above
12. The Lake: Sunset

Journey of a Dragonfly for Orchestra

Latest original psychedelic music. Take one away from challenges of this strange physical world. Seventeen gems.

Hope everyone enjoys the musical magical ride.

All instruments: Daniel Lars
Written, mixed, produced, mastered: Daniel Lars


℗ 2025 Daniel A. Larsen

Psychedelic Cats

7 Feb 2025

Third Eye Awakening

Website

Easy

the piece  is almost polyrhythmic 
uses as a riff a 7-note rhythmic pattern x-x-xx-x-x-x taken from african drums
this gives 3 bars of 4 which seems assymetric when repeated
deep in the mix there is also the pulse of 4 bars of 3

seven on twelve

GRETA

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"Can I Be’s Smoke" is a hypnotic journey that feels like 60 BPM while pulsing at 120. Driven by heavy kick and snare, it blends industrial tension with psychedelic, dreamy textures. The result is a slow-burning, modern darkwave track — both floating and grounded, melancholic yet cinematic. Music for nights of smoke, steel, and strange reflections.

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Daniel Lars: Multi-Instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, producer. Born, initially grew up in the heart of San Francisco. Music deeply rooted...young age of four. Psychedelic music scene was electrifying. Nevertheless, Daniel Lars was deeply influenced from extensive variety of music. Rock, Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Glam Rock, R&B, Funk, Soul, Motown, late '60s pop music, Progressive Rock, Gothic, Eastern music, Blues, Disco, Bossa nova, Folk, Jazz Fusion, Jazz, Classical, World Music, Techno, Psychedelic Trance, Hip-hop. 

Daniel Lars: "My father would play stacks of vinyl from extensive record collection. Especially, during weekends. Late, through the night. Recall in record collection...early Beatles, Big Band, classical, jazz, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, MC5, Dusty Springfield, Motown. Various country artists in record collection. While my oldest brothers were playing '60s rock, Southern Rock, English psychedelic bands, from vinyl collection. During late '60s psychedelic era, early '70s." 

Young age of twenty, Daniel decided to seriously pursue music career. First band, younger brother on bass. Jammed with various musicians, friends, bands. San Francisco Bay Area, during the eighties. Formed power trio, "Third Eye." Performed various popular clubs in San Francisco. Relocated in the East Bay Area. Small town in Pleasanton. Shortly, after Third Eye disbanded. Joined popular local East Bay Area hard rock band, Most Wanted. Final gig, major benefit concert. Billed with several other popular Bay Area local bands. Such as Black Tiger (former members of Y&T). To support "October 17th, 1989 Loma Prieta" earthquake victims. During late '90s, hired as a professional session guitarist for two years. Major recording studio in Oakland, CA. Where he learned extensive skills in studio production. Left California in 2008. Always creating gems in musical moments of time. His two lovely rescue cats Syd & Ziggy, daily magical hikes in the forest...are current "musical" inspirations. Cheers.

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Daniel Lars

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