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
Full Video: https://youtu.be/hZOVmC9R82M
Promo Video: https://youtu.be/FYH7xl2Uinw

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

Why Me

Overkill (throwaway)

Lights Down Low (Acoustic)

https://www.youtube.com/@dji.p.x
https://www.instagram.com/dji.p.x/
https://www.tiktok.com/@dj_i.p.x
https://x.com/ipx_dj

Free Download

The Past is Prologue

Song is uploaded on YouTube & soon other platforms

End My Dreams × 7KPHX × Prod by Frank Zozky


“Still You Echo” is a progressive pop-rock and electronic fusion built on grooving percussion, rolling basslines, and atmospheric synth layers.  
Clean electric guitars blend with metallic hits and filtered pads, forming a hybrid rock-electronic soundscape.  
The vocals are emotional yet restrained, echoing the lines *“Echo… echo… wait for me…”* with layered harmonies and fading delay.  
Dynamic drops and cinematic transitions create a sense of motion and rebirth — as if memories themselves are transforming into pure energy.  

POP / ROCK MUSIC - Still You Echo

A slow-burn, sensual descent into the depths of the night.
“Daughter of the Night” tells the story of freedom and desire intertwined — a forgotten kiss, a shadowed heart, and the beauty of letting go.
Whispered female vocals glide over deep analog bass and echoing synths, shaping a hypnotic darkwave pop-house mood — moody, untamed, and dangerously free.

Daughter of the Night

“The Music Calls Me” blends the nostalgic glow of late-80s / early-90s synth-pop and R&B with a deep, emotional baritone vocal performance.
Warm, floating synth pads drift through the mix, while a pulsating bass guitar leads the rhythm like a heartbeat calling from within.

The track captures the moment when music becomes more than sound —
a pull, a presence, a force that reaches into the chest
and guides the soul forward through light and shadow.
Atmospheric, intimate, and hypnotic.

Synth-pop - The Music Calls Me

“Stained Soul – The Beginnings” explores the exact moment when a soul first cracks.
A quiet descent born from anger, guilt, and the shadowed corners of the human mind.
This song tells the story of a man who no longer walks in the light —
a figure who becomes the breath of the night, the mirror of sin,
and the first witness of his own inner darkness.

The music carries a dark, minimal blues-electro touch,
but the essence lies in the confession:
the instant when rage pierces reason,
and the first black mark settles on the soul.

A raw, hypnotic reflection of how the darkness begins.

Stained Soul-The Beginnings

Inspiration is everywhere. I create by observing life with open senses — imagination and experience shape every track.

Music created from HunForMa lyrics is available for monetized use.
If you need tracks for your content, send a private message for terms.

For sustained clarity and creative focus during writing, I support my mental freshness with Neolife products.
🛒 Shop: https://shopneolife.com/jhon

HunForMa blends Techno-House, Lo-Fi, Hip-Hop, Reggae, and Jazz into a poetic, atmospheric fusion. Deep rhythms meet emotional storytelling and urban consciousness.

🎨 Art & Support: ko-fi.com/hunforma
🎵 Collabs welcome: revenue-share options for creators
🔗 More: hearthis.at/hunforma
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@hunforma