An orchestral suite comprising four orchestral pieces that describe the four temperate seasons of the year. The project title is a nod to the cyclical nature of the seasons.  The words below acted as a  catalyst for the music.

The Wheel Turns Project - YouTube playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQkE1sMc-t1sixu4RmJmjyFr0HF6dnUF2
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Spring

The waiting is over. The Winter chill recedes and there is a tacit acceptance to the demands of birth and rebirth. A sign of fresh green poking through the ground is a welcome sight, a simple signal that all will be well.

Very quickly, in a sudden rush, there is life in the hedgerows and the sound of birds heralding a new season. One of life and growth and warmer days and rainy times, but overall a feeling of hope.

You have longed for this moment, a chance to put away your Winter clothes and feel the sun upon your face again. The riot of change will continue as the life-giving sun takes longer marches through the sky.

Spring of all seasons is a time to revel in simply feeling alive. 

P Goodrich - January 2021

Summer

The days grow longer, the nights shorter, as the golden ball we call the sun parades in all it's glory. This is a time for living life to the full, a time of happiness, a time of pleasure and excess.

At the solstice, some people still give thanks to the life giving orb upon which we all depend. For we know this moment cannot last, the majesty will fade, the warmth will falter, the party will end.

With threadbare days and darker nights the proud display of Summer flowers starts to fade. The heat can be oppressive, at times there is a chill in the air and Nature herself seems finally quiescent.

We will carry those memories of days on the beach or at the park in our hearts forever. Those days of fun.

P Goodrich - April 2021

Autumn

The majesty of Summer has now faded. Leaves, once so green, now a myriad of fading colours as Mother Nature withdraws her life-giving hand.

The weather is changing too. Strong winds and blustery days jostle with times of calm reflection, as you take a little wander through the woods.

The squirrels are busy, as are the birds, as some prepare for darker times whilst others set forth on their migrant flights.

For nature knows, whilst man often forgets, that change is in the air.

P Goodrich - Oct 2020

Winter

As you travel deep into the heart of Winter,life slowly withdraws for a time. Not defeated, just resting for a while. New life will be reborn as the nights get shorter after the solstice.

But for now, you walk out into it's heart and reflect on the austere beauty this season brings. Water frozen over and castles made of ice. A fellow traveller hunched against the cold nods as you walk by.

The magic of Christmas quickly fades into the chill of the New Year. A time of renewal and vows of friendship and peace. 

Nature is holding it's breath, ready to be be reborn with the light of the sun.

P Goodrich - Dec 2018

The Wheel Turns Orchestral Suite

"A musical vision of Spring, a time of renewal and growth. From out of the cold ground comes a promise of warmer days. Then April showers herald an explosion of life, shorter nights and lighter days full of the sound of birdsong. As the season moves on, there is a slowing of change as Summer draws near."

Description

Spring, finds me trying to express, in music, my feelings about this season. Below is a attempt at doing this in words too. This is the third of four orchestral pieces that describe the four temperate seasons of the year.

If you want to hear the other pieces from the series "The Wheel Turns" after listening to this piece, the links are here :-

https://soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/the-wheel-turns

The Wheel Turns Orchestral Suite - YouTube playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQkE1sMc-t1sixu4RmJmjyFr0HF6dnUF2

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Spring
The waiting is over. The Winter chill recedes and there is a tacit acceptance to the demands of birth and rebirth. A sign of fresh green poking through the ground is a welcome sight, a simple signal that all will be well.

Very quickly, in a sudden rush, there is life in the hedgerows and the sound of birds heralding a new season. One of life and growth and warmer days and rainy times, but overall a feeling of hope.

You have longed for this moment, a chance to put away your Winter clothes and feel the sun upon your face again. The riot of change will continue as the life-giving sun takes longer marches through the sky.

Spring of all seasons is a time to revel in simply feeling alive. 

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Instrumentation

Con Sordino Strings (Albion One - Spitfire)
Viola Ensemble (Chris Hein Strings)
Viola Ensemble Pizzicato Loose (Chris Hein Strings)
Cello Ensemble (Chris Hein Strings)
Solo Cello (Chris Hein Strings)
Solo(1826 Old)Violin (Chris Hein Strings)
Alto Flute (Chris Hein Winds)
Piccolo (Chris Hein Winds)
English Horn (Chris Hein Winds)
Barock Bassoon (Chris Hein Winds)
Bb Clarinet (Chris Hein Winds)
French Horn (Chris Hein Brass)
French Horn Ensemble(Chris Hein Brass)
Trombone (Chris Hein Brass)
Tuba (Chris Hein Brass)
Bell Tree (Flying Hands Percussion)
Triangle (Kontakt Factory Library)
Concert Harp (Garritan Personal Orchestra 5)

I really wanted a lightness to this piece and it took me a while of tweaking to get what I heard in my head. I didn't want it to sound like Autumn, or Summer, both weightier seasons, but not as thin and austere as Winter. So this piece is mostly woodwinds and strings with hardly any percussion

I didn't need bottom-end, I needed more focus in the melody interaction and there was a missing link. It needed to be light and airy and what else says light and airy like the harp. After about a day working on the harp part it started to give the feel I wanted. The harp glissandi were useful as bookends to the section it features in. 

The piece begins with an echo of Winter and the bell tree, the piccolo and alto flute describe the first signs of growth before giving way to pizzicato strings of April Showers. The harp section is a semi-formal counterpoint section with the harp melody inter-woven with the solo violin in my attempt to describe the rapid growth of the Season. The final section brings in the brass and is a calmer end to the piece that hints at the glory of Summer just around the corner.

The Wheel Turns

Spring

"A musical vision of Summer, a time of warmth, light and fun. A time to live life to the full and enjoy all that mother nature has to offer. As the season moves on, the solstice reminds us that the warmth and light cannot last as we start to head into Autumn"

Description

Summer, finds me trying to express, in music, my feelings about this season. Below is a attempt at doing this in words too. This is chronologically the forth and final of my orchestral pieces that describe the four temperate seasons of the year.

If you want to hear the other pieces from the series "The Wheel Turns" after listening to this piece, the links are here :-

https://soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/the-wheel-turns

The Wheel Turns Orchestral Suite - YouTube playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQkE1sMc-t1sixu4RmJmjyFr0HF6dnUF2

---------------------------------------------------------------
Summer
The days grow longer, the nights shorter, as the golden ball we call the sun parades in all it's glory.This is a time for living life to the full, a time of happiness, a time of pleasure and excess.

At the solstice, some people still give thanks to the life giving orb upon which we all depend. For we know this moment cannot last, the majesty will fade, the warmth will falter, the party will end.

With threadbare days and darker nights the proud display of Summer flowers starts to fade. The heat can be oppressive, at times there is a chill in the air and Nature herself seems finally quiescent.

We will carry those memories of days on the beach or at the park in our hearts forever. Those days of fun.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Instrumentation

Con Sordino Strings (Albion One - Spitfire)
Ensemble Strings Mid Octave (Chris Hein Strings)
Viola Ensemble (Chris Hein Strings)
Cello Ensemble (Chris Hein Strings)
Bass Ensemble (Chris Hein Strings)
Solo(1826 Old)Violin (Chris Hein Strings)
Alto Flute (Chris Hein Winds)
C Flute (Chris Hein Winds)
Piccolo (Chris Hein Winds)
English Horn (Chris Hein Winds)
Barock Bassoon (Chris Hein Winds)
Trumpet Ensemble (Chris Hein Brass)
French Horn (Chris Hein Brass)
French Horn Ensemble(Chris Hein Brass)
Trombone (Chris Hein Brass)
Tuba (Chris Hein Brass)
Cymbal (Albion One - Spitfire)
Bass Drum (Kontakt Factory Library)
Concert Harp (Garritan Personal Orchestra 5)
Timpani (Kontakt Factory Library and Garritan Personal Orchestra 5)

This piece evolved into 5 different thematic viewpoints that I labelled up to give an insight into the composition.

1)Grand Intro ... Sunrise / The Majesty of the Sun
2)Summer Promenade / The Beauty of Life
3)Summer Fun / The Bandstand
4)Balmy Days / Sultry Nights
5)A Fading Glory / The Last Hurrah

The piece commences with a Summer sunrise and the sound of French horn and alto flute before the brass heralds the glory of the sun with a fanfare . 

Next is the introduction of the main Summer promenade theme which reflects on the glory of a Summers day before a quieter section featuring solo violin and a bit of flute in the beauty of life.

A harp glissando heralds a change of pace and mood as harp and flute hint at children playing in the park before a brief visit to a quintessentially English band-stand, complete with brass band and thumping bass drum.

Balmy days / Sultry nights introduces the listener to the fading grandeur of Summer, a more melancholic line from the English horn acting as a counterpoint to a slower version of the earlier promenade theme. 

Finally the piece ends with a last hurrah for Summer as a wistful line and rolled timpani hint at the onset of Autumn. A final bit of pomp with timpani and brass completes the piece. 

It was quite a task to fit all that imagery into  four minutes of music but overall I think it works. :-)

Summer

"A musical vision of Winter and the silence deep within it's heart. But there is still beauty to be found and life goes on despite the dark and the cold."

Description

My first truly orchestral composition, Winter, finds me trying to express, in music, my feelings about this season. Below is a attempt at doing this  in words too. This is the first of hopefully four orchestral pieces that describe the four temperate seasons of the year.

If you want to hear other pieces from the series "The Wheel Turns" after listening to this piece, the links are here :-

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/the-wheel-turns

The Wheel Turns Orchestral Suite - YouTube playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQkE1sMc-t1sixu4RmJmjyFr0HF6dnUF2

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Winter 
As you travel deep into the heart of Winter, life slowly withdraws for a time. Not defeated, just resting for a while. New life will be reborn as the nights get shorter after the solstice.

But for now, you walk out into it's heart and reflect on the austere beauty this season brings. Water frozen over and castles made of ice. A fellow traveller hunched against the cold nods as you walk by.

The magic of Christmas quickly fades into the chill of the New Year. A time of renewal and vows of friendship and peace.

Nature is holding it's breath, ready to be be reborn with the light of the sun.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Instrumentation
 
Shevannai vocal library (Eduardo Tarilonte)
Con Sordino and 8ve strings (Albion One - Spitfire)
Harp Harmonics (Garritan GP05)
Piano(Halion Sonic)
Cello (Halion Sonic)
English Horn / Cor Anglais (Chris Hein Winds)
Orchestral Chimes (Garritan GPO5)

Dynamics was a key part of this composition as was tempo. The tempo slowly decreases as the track goes on to give a feeing of everything slowing down as Winter moves on. Only very subtle but its there. 

I wanted a more delicate arpeggio sound later on so the piano was replaced with harp harmonics, that gives a change of sound when I needed it.

Winter

"A musical vision of Autumn, a time of year when change is in the air. Mellow days and vivid colours give way to darker nights, rain storms and misty mornings. As the season moves on, a hint of Winter arrives with colder nights and frosty mornings"

Description

Autumn, finds me trying to express, in music, my feelings about this season. Below is a attempt at doing this in words too. This is the second of hopefully four orchestral pieces that describe the four temperate seasons of the year.

If you want to hear other pieces from the series "The Wheel Turns" after listening to this piece, the links are here :-

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/the-wheel-turns

The Wheel Turns Orchestral Suite - YouTube playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQkE1sMc-t1sixu4RmJmjyFr0HF6dnUF2

---------------------------------------------------------------
Autumn
The majesty of Summer has now faded. Leaves, once so green, now a myriad of fading colours as Mother Nature withdraws her life-giving hand.

The weather is changing too. Strong winds and blustery days jostle with times of calm reflection, as you take a little wander through the woods.

The squirrels are busy, as are the birds, as some prepare for darker times whilst others set forth on their migrant flights.

For Autumn knows, whilst man often forgets, that change is in the air.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Instrumentation

Con Sordino and 8ve strings (Albion One - Spitfire)
Viola Ensemble (Chris Hein Strings)
Violin Spiccato (Albion One - Spitfire)
Low Strings Cello & Bass(Chris Hein Strings)
Pizzicato Strings (Albion One - Spitfire)
Oboes (Chris Hein Winds)
English Horn (Chris Hein Winds)
Barock Bassoon (Chris Hein Winds)
Flute (Chris Hein Winds)
French Horn (Chris Hein Brass)
Trombone (Chris Hein Brass)
Low Brass Dirt Growl (Chris Hein Brass)
Timpani Rolls and Strikes (Kontakt Factory Library)
Bass Drum (Kontakt Factory Library)
St Peter's Choir (Halion -Steinberg)
Shevannai vocal library (Eduardo Tarilonte)
Bell Tree (Flying Hands Percussion)

Variety was the key to this piece with it almost compartmentalised into different sections to reflect this changeable season.

The initial section what I call 'the walk in the woods section' depicts the fading grandeur of Autumn before moving into a time of relative calm. This is followed suddenly by a storm section featuring a vocal line as the wind, pizzicato strings as the rain and timpani and brass as the thunder. The final section is almost melancholic, reflecting the withdrawal of nature before dying down to a misty stillness with a hint of Winter just around the corner. In fact the end section features a motif from my piece Winter so it acts as a bridge to that piece.

Autumn

A collection of songs, instrumentals and orchestral pieces charting my adventures in home studio recording and production.  All original compositions using voice, acoustic and electric guitar (sometimes using altered tunings), bouzouki, low and high whistles and MIDI instrumentation. 

I'm also using VST instrumentation to create classical compositions and integrating orchestral sounds into my songs and instrumentals.

Links to various instrumental projects and other Social Media links are available below.

My Eclectic Music Connections repost thread is here

https://soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki-repost

The Wheel Turns Orchestral Suite

MrBouzouki