This Prelude is the first section of a longer work entitled Emmanuel Variations.  I am composing additional sections (2022) and will post them as they are completed.  There is a sacred undertone to the work, hence "Emmanuel" as part of the title.  The Variations intend to present or express the different modalities of one's inner life while contemplating the sublime.  Thus, the Variations are not variations in the classical sense of theme and variations, but variations presented to express momentary glimpses of on'es spirituality along the path of enlightenment as one becomes increasingly aware and accepting of the "God with us".

Emmanuel Variations: Prelude

During my years as a graduate student at U.C. Berkeley, I had contemplated writing a major work for piano solo.  Initially I thought of composing this work in a classical multimovement form.  Ultimately, I was only happy with the Adagio movement, so I extracted this part of the composition to complete.  Indeed, this work is heavily influenced by Berg's Op. 1 Sonata, which itself is also only one movement.  Aside from the rhythmic complexity and tempo nuancing, there is much in this piece that reflects the tonal and post-tonal landscape of early Berg, and yet my own tonal and melodic syntax is so clearly defined, even in this early work, and blended seamlessly with the harmonic language inspired by Berg.  Completed in 1973, I performed this work at Hertz Hall on the U.C. Berkeley campus.  This track is the live recording of that performance.

Years later I took it upon myself to recompose this Adagio for Symphony Orchestra without soloist (Version 1b), and for Piano and Orchestra (Version 1c).

Adagio 1a

Pieces From A Distant Land No. 10 Lento Giusto (Baldwin)

Pieces From A Distant Land No. 4 Largo Sarabande Chorale (Baldwin)

This is a studio recording performed on a Kurzweil PC4.  For a live performance on a grand piano, listen here:

https://soundcloud.com/peterdicksonlopez/pieces-from-a-distant-land-series-i-no-1?in=peterdicksonlopez/sets/piano-music-volume-1
__________________________________

Quite some years ago, my mother, Mary Lois, asked me to write some easy-to-play pieces
in the tonal tradition which would be suitable for her to play during her church services.
This is the first piece I wrote for her and which she liked very much. Apparently, I didn't
quite get the "easy-to-play" part of her request as she never was able to "play" these pieces
as intended. Nonetheless, she treasured the pieces I wrote for her while she was still
alive. She passed away in 2015, but I am still writing these pieces, indeed as much for
myself as for her. Thus, I subtitled this first from the initial group of pieces, "In
Memoriam", in loving memory of my mother and all that she did for me by encouraging me
to continue writing music.

I later revised the piece in 2022, and it is the 2022 revised version that was recorded by Anna Kislitsyna in 2023 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts by PARMA Recordings and released later that year on the Navona Records label.  Shortly after that recording session, Jennifer Wang performed the world premiere of this piece at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York City on June 20, 2023 at the Carnegie Laureate Gala Concert organized and produced by ProgressiveMusicians.com and VirtualConcertHalls.com.

The title of the group of pieces, "Pieces From A Distant Land", originates from my Paris
sojourn from 1976-1978. My wife, Irene, accompanied me, was my constant companion,
and shared with me the adventure of living abroad in Europe. During this time, I thought of
home, back in the San Francisco Bay Area, as the "Distant Land". Beyond this, it also
occurred to me that "Distant Land" was a metaphor for the tonal language I grew up with
and in which I began composing. This was particularly salient for me at the time as I was
writing "The Ship of Death" which moved quite beyond this early language I was so used to,
combining in fact such diverse sources as live electronic processing of acoustic sounds,
open form of Earle Brown, complex contrapuntal textures and metric modulation
influenced by the likes of Elliott Carter, and of course the sonic and timbral richness of
much of the music I was listening to in Paris at the time (Xenakis, Messiaen, Cristóbal
Halffter, Heinz Holliger, and Stockhausen - to name just a few!).

Based on this view of "Distant Land", I contemplated several series of works for solo Piano,
the first being written in the tonal tradition (Series I), the second being tonally more
advanced (Series II), and the third being experimental (Series III).

Pieces From A Distant Land No. 1 Andante (PC4)

Aujourd'hui (... ma mère vit en moi)  
for Double String Orchestra    

I completed the first two sections of Aujourd’hui, Prelude and Meditation, in early 2022.  These opening sections of the work comprise about half of the full work.  Though incomplete in this form, Aujourd’hui received its World Premiere in Lviv, Ukraine on April 21, 2022, performed by the KLK String Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Roman Kreslenko.  Aujourd’hui was one of ten finalist new works for string orchestra premiered that day under the auspices of the Musica per Archi 2022 Composers Competition directed by Maestro Ferdinando Nazzaro and sponsored by the Lviv Philharmonic Society.    

At the time I had begun Aujourd’hui, Russia had not invaded Ukraine.  Due to the subsequent hostilities, performances of the Competition were temporarily delayed until it was deemed “safe”.  Thus, the KLK String Orchestra decided to proceed with rehearsals and performances in April, as much for the benefit of the musicians of Lviv as for the composers.   

While the original inspiration and musical thematic material had not contemplated themes including those of Ukraine, War, and Freedom, the confluence of world events during this time will forever link this work to the struggle for peace and freedom in Ukraine.  Fortuitously, as much of my creative work explores spiritual yearnings for peace and renewal of perseverance to achieve a greater good in the face of tremendous odds, the content of Aujourd’hui does in fact reflect on these themes.    

I am completing two additional sections (Prayer and Supplication).  The short (Ukraine) version (6 min.) or the full work (12 min.) could be performed standalone, depending on the programming, rehearsal time and budget constraints for any given concert.  The short and full versions both express the same sentiment, each in its own time scale.    

This work started out as a simple piano study for a beginning adult student for whom I wanted to write a short and easy piece as an enjoyable scale study.  I was so taken with the direction of the little study that I sat down at the keyboard and improvised variations on it.  I captured the improvisation in real time, as I tend to do more and more these days (performing for myself as it were).  That improvisation forms the basis of Aujourd'hui, as I subsequently named the piece.  

For some reason, the sentiment expressed in the initial study (theme) and subsequent improvisation struck me almost as a long overdue homage to my mother who passed away some years ago, evoking feelings of love, loss, remembrance, belonging, joy, peace, and hope.   

Almost immediately I recalled, in contrast, reading the first sentence of Albert Camus' L'Étranger: "Aujourd'hui, maman est morte (Today, mom is dead)."   I confess to not being able to get beyond the beginning of L'Étranger, but many years later it seems that I finally have voiced my response to such a desolate thought by writing this piece.  Thus, the title continues at the end of the piece in parentheses (per the Debussy Preludes): ... ma mère vit en moi (my mother lives in me).   

As I at first formed this piece to be an easy tonal piano study, and as I further contemplated this work as a kind of homage to my mother, Aujourd’hui stands complete in the tonal tradition.  To further give context to this piece in light of my mother’s deep and enduring Christian spirituality which she passed on to me, I embedded in the Meditation an overlay of three Christian hymn melodies which have stayed with me to this day.   

• In the Bleak Midwinter
• Love Came Down At Christmas
• Just As I Am, Without One Plea   

I embedded these three hymn tunes in the Meditation from measures 105-120.  These hymn tunes will be further explored in the following Prayer and Supplication sections.  All in all, given the historical background and original inspiration, Aujourd’hui might well be thought of as a "prayer for peace".

Prelude and Meditation from Aujourd'hui

Prelude And Meditation From Aujourd'hui

The Distant series of works has occupied my creative imagination for many years.  It seems I have just gotten started with so many Distant projects yet to complete.  These works originated as piano solo pieces, but upon revisiting some of the completed ones, it has become obvious to me that many are in fact orchestral sketches.  When playing these pieces for myself, sonic colors and landscapes seem to beg to be let free from the instrumental confines of the piano.  This first occurred to me when writing Aujourd’hui, which although not a Distant work, lives in the same sonic milieu as my Distant pieces.
No. 4 from Pieces from a Distant Land Series I originated from a sketch I jotted down in 2012.  However, I didn’t compose the piece until early 2020.  I subtitled the piece “Sarabande Chorale”.  The sarabande rhythm continues throughout for the most part, and the harmonic progressions and patterns presented via the sarabande rhythm evoke a chorale-like sentiment. It starts with a dark, brooding yet majestic character.  Later in the middle section I introduce a freely composed chorale melody in the high register without the sarabande rhythm.
In June of 2022 I decided to orchestrate this piece because of all the orchestral nuances that seemed to jump out at me.  Concurrently from the beginning of 2022, my beloved wife of nearly 50 years, Irene, was suffering increasing disability, pain and suffering from her years-long battle with numerous diseases and organ failures.  Perhaps it was the dark, low register introduction balanced with a kind of majestic dignity of will to live that called me to orchestrate this piece?  Who can say? 
Thus it was that I wrote Chanson lointaine quatre (Distant Song 4), based on No. 4 from Series I Distant Land, during Irene’s last months of many hospital visits, numerous operations, great sadness, and unbearable physical and emotional pain.  However, this is not just an “orchestration” of the original piano piece, but a recomposition of the same with additional variations and materials.
In this work one may hear: sudden shifts of emotion; longing; hope; determination of will; anguish and sadness welling up; a dialogue of spirits in communion with each other and our Heavenly Father; perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds and pain; and yet even tender moments of loving and caring.
Chanson lointaine quatre wasn’t written specifically “for” Irene but represents a reflection of our lives together at the moment our Heavenly Father was calling her to a better place.  Indeed, Chanson lointaine quatre is but a small sampling of works written during a lifetime of loving and sharing with my better half, written with her and inspired by her always in my heart.

Chanson Lointaine Quatre

In this work, I continue to explore integrating traditional tonal and rhythmic language with more experimental approaches to pitch and time construction.  As for using titles and phrases in French, doing so has helped me to recapture and continue working in the creative cocoon that I so enjoyed during my years in Paris.
Each section is preceded and followed by a short poetic descriptive phrase in French.  The Preludes of Debussy come to mind where the composer lists the title of the piece at the end, but not as a literal description.  There are eight sections included in this series of Visions:
I.	Premier reflet … feuilles en baisse	(First reflection … falling leaves)
II	Un petit morceau … de nocturne cassée	(A little piece … of a broken nocturne)
III	Montage … en blanc et noir	(Montage … in black and white)
IV.	Un esprit solitaire … triste et joyeux	(A lone spirit … sad and joyous)
V.	Feux follets … des courants	(Wisps … of currents)
VI.	Estampes … en dehors et en bas	(Engravings … outside and below)
VII.	Fenêtre … des souvenirs	(Window … of remembrances)
VIII.	Doucement … une berceuse	(Gently … a lullaby)
As these titles might suggest, Visions des reflets et nocturnes can be thought of as a kind of dreamscape which reflects introspective and subconscious musings in a kind of “stream of consciousness”.

Visions des reflets et nocturnes(I - VIII)(Virtual Performance)

MISE-EN is a collection of works that share a common sound ideal and conceptual instrumentation. Work on this collection began in 2018 while collaborating with the Ensemble MISE-EN in South Korea under the auspices of the Oil Tank Culture Park Global Network in Seoul.

The resulting work, MISE-EN Series I, is an electroacoustic work scored for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, Percussion, Ableton Live, and Acousmatic Sound. This work was meant to reflect the aesthetic agenda of Ensemble MISE-EN, whose name roughly translates from Korean to English as meaning “decorative beauty.”

To achieve this goal, I decided to write a work for chamber ensemble which would reflect a larger sonic landscape than what might be considered traditional chamber writing. I thus included live and prerecorded electronics in the scoring and composed with two divergent but complementary musical components: “sound tapestry” (“beautiful”), and ornamentation (“decorative”).

Series I is the first of a series of works based on this concept of “decorative beauty”. To simplify logistics, the Ableton Live part, which would otherwise be performed by a seventh ensemble player, can be mixed with the Acousmatic Sound recording. The World Premiere of MISE-EN, Series I in November 2018, was performed by the Ensemble MISE-EN with this alternative version.

It only occurred to me after completing this first work that I could expand and extend MISE-EN as a series of works. To implement this while retaining the underlying sound ideal of “decorative beauty” for all works of the series, I decided to pair electroacoustic devices with a different legacy or standard acoustic ensemble for each follow-on work. Thus, Series I is scored for a slightly modified “Pierrot” ensemble. Series II, this work, is scored for Amplified String Quartet and Acousmatic Sound. In 2021, the first Episode of Series II was selected by the Sirius Quartet for recording by PARMA to be released on the Navona Records label, CD and streaming audio. The opening Episode presents a tightly woven contrapuntal texture that is eventually painted against a contrasting broad and richly scored melodic line. The juxtaposition of this contrasting content awaits further exploration, as this first Episode ends with a question marked by the remnants of an ascending and fading contrapuntal cascade. The ornamentation of the contrapuntal texture frames the beauty expressed in the soaring cantabile, thus delineating a formal framework that harkens back to a bygone era, an era that nevertheless remains alive and essential in my creative work.

Playing on the Edge 3

Mise-En Series II, Episode 1

In August of 2022, Irene, my wife and soulmate of so many wonderful years, passed away. The following years were the most difficult years of my life as I was devastated and overwhelmed by grief. Several years prior to Irene’s passing, I had started on a large orchestral work reflecting on our life together with our son, Peren, during his childhood years. This work is still in progress, but stylistically it has had a great impact on the composition of my Pieces of Love and Remembrance as it foreshadows much of what I expressed in Seeking Serenity, Part I. I started to write down ideas here and there during the more lucid moments of my grieving. Then in early 2024, I received an invitation from PARMA Recordings to write a short 5-minute piece for piano and orchestra. I immediately jumped at the opportunity, and Seeking Serenity, Part I is the work I composed for this occasion.

Although I do not generally, and did not with Seeking Serenity, attempt to tell a story or narrative of some kind, listeners of my music often reflect on how my music evokes in them certain feelings, images, or extra musical references. This was particularly true of Irene, and I so miss how she would relate to me about her feelings and impressions while listening to my music. Indeed, I am overjoyed to learn that listeners can get caught up in the emotions of my music as they follow their own unique journey guided by what they hear.

On a very personal level, I can identify with the piano solo which strives to find some point of repose or comfort, seeking this not in despair but in the hope of finding and rekindling love, belonging and the strength to continue on. The opening arpeggiated passages underscore the direction of this sentiment. The orchestra for its part is like, dare I say, Irene who is gently beckoning me on to find that place of repose and acceptance, full of color, bright sounds, and signposts pointing the way. By the end of Part I, the solo finds itself in a delicately balanced and restructured statement of motivic material alluded to previously, and in a high, bell-like register of the piano, echoed and enfolded finally by an orchestral texture not unlike wind chimes reverberating into infinity.

Journey to Serenity

Pieces of Love and Remembrance: Seeking Serenity, Part I

This is a recording of the complete work performed live in a series of concerts in February, 1980.  Arch Ensemble for Experimental Music; Robert Hughes, Conductor; Tom Buckner, Tenor.

This is a 40 minute work, so be patient while the audio file buffers.  Alternatively, you can listen to some short excerpts from each section of the work (see The Ship of Death - Excerpts).

The Ship of Death

The Ship Of Death (1976-77)- Full Performance

MISE-EN Series I 
for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Piano, Percussion, Ableton Live and Acousmatic Sound

This is the World Premiere performed by Ensemble MISE-EN on November 22, 2018 in Seoul, South Korea.  This performance was presented during the ATM2018 Festival at the Oil Tank Culture Park under the auspices of the Arts Incubator Korea program directed by composer Sojin Yoon.

Ensemble MISE-EN
https://ensemble.mise-en.org/

Moon Young Ha, composer, conductor and artistic director
Kelley Barnett, flute
Yumi Suehiro, piano 
Josh Perry, percussion
Maria Im, violin
Maria Addge, cello
Eric Umble, clarinet

assisted by the composer on Ableton Live

MISE - EN, Series I (World Premiere)

Pieces From A Distant Land, Series I originate from 1988 when my mother asked me to write some "easy tonal" pieces" for her.  I may have gotten the "tonal" part right, but apparantly I don't understand "easy" as my mother was unable to play the pieces I had completed for her.  Over the years I have completed numberous of these pieces and have started or have sketches for at least 24.  I had also planned a Series II and Series III of these pieces with each additional series including more advanced tonality and electroacoustic components.  Momentv Pieces is part of the Distant Land Series III group of works.

As these pieces date from the 80's and initially wrritten for my mother, I naturally wrote for the piano.  While arranging to produce a series of solo concerts for 2020-2021, I considered using a digital piano instead of renting a concert grand in order to keep production costs down.  To that end I tried several digital keyboards and finally decided on purchasing a Kurzweil PC4 for this purpose.  The PC4 provided not only wonderful acoustic piano samples, but also offered synthesis, digital effects, ampling technology, and layered sound design, all of which naturally attrracted me from a composer's point of view - plus the price was right!

I have performed some of these in concert on acoustic pianos, but I plan to perform live in concert a group of these on the Kurzweil PC4 Performance Controller.  This playlist publishes my performance of Distant Land on the PC4.   I am also working on a playlist featuring my performance of these on a Baldwin 7' Grand for comparison and consideration for pianists who prefer to perform these on the piano.  After working with the PC4, I discovered that the Kurzweil instrument enabled to achieve a sound ideal closer to what I had imagined in my "inner ear", specifically the use of the Sostenuto pedal and layered sounds tp extend held notes, all of which tend to get lost pon an acoustic grand.  Therefore, my own preference is to perform these on the PC4, but all performances are welcomned and encouraged, PC4 or Acoustic Grand!

No. 5 Andante Rubato (PC4)

No. 10 Lento Giusto (PC4)

Quite some years ago, my mother, Mary Lois, asked me to write some easy-to-play pieces
in the tonal tradition which would be suitable for her to play during her church services.
This is the first piece I wrote for her and which she liked very much. Apparently, I didn't
quite get the "easy-to-play" part of her request as she never was able to "play" these pieces
as intended. Nonetheless, she treasured the pieces I wrote for her while she was still
alive. She passed away in 2015, but I am still writing these pieces, indeed as much for
myself as for her. Thus, I subtitled this first from the initial group of pieces, "In
Memoriam", in loving memory of my mother and all that she did for me by encouraging me
to continue writing music.

I later revised the piece in 2022, and it is the 2022 revised version that was recorded by Anna Kislitsyna in 2023 at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts by PARMA Recordings and released later that year on the Navona Records label.  Shortly after that recording session, Jennifer Wang performed the world premiere of this piece at Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York City on June 20, 2023 at the Carnegie Laureate Gala Concert organized and produced by ProgressiveMusicians.com and VirtualConcertHalls.com.

The title of the group of pieces, "Pieces From A Distant Land", originates from my Paris
sojourn from 1976-1978. My wife, Irene, accompanied me, was my constant companion,
and shared with me the adventure of living abroad in Europe. During this time, I thought of
home, back in the San Francisco Bay Area, as the "Distant Land". Beyond this, it also
occurred to me that "Distant Land" was a metaphor for the tonal language I grew up with
and in which I began composing. This was particularly salient for me at the time as I was
writing "The Ship of Death" which moved quite beyond this early language I was so used to,
combining in fact such diverse sources as live electronic processing of acoustic sounds,
open form of Earle Brown, complex contrapuntal textures and metric modulation
influenced by the likes of Elliott Carter, and of course the sonic and timbral richness of
much of the music I was listening to in Paris at the time (Xenakis, Messiaen, Cristóbal
Halffter, Heinz Holliger, and Stockhausen - to name just a few!).

Based on this view of "Distant Land", I contemplated several series of works for solo Piano,
the first being written in the tonal tradition (Series I), the second being tonally more
advanced (Series II), and the third being experimental (Series III).

No. 1 Andante (PC4)

This Playlist comprises performances by the composer of Pieces From A Distant Land on an acoustic grand piano.  Listen to the PC4 Playlist performances of the same pieces to compare!

ABOUT PIECES FROM A DISTANT LAND

Pieces From A Distant Land, Series I originate from 1988 when my mother asked me to write some "easy tonal" pieces" for her.  I may have gotten the "tonal" part right, but apparently I don't understand "easy" as my mother was unable to play the pieces I had completed for her.  Over the years I have completed numerous of these pieces and have started or have sketches for at least 24.  I had also planned a Series II and Series III of these pieces with each additional series including more advanced tonality and electroacoustic components.  Moment Pieces is part of the Distant Land Series III group of works.

As these pieces date from the 80's and initially written for my mother, I naturally wrote for the piano.  While arranging to produce a series of solo concerts for 2020-2021, I considered using a digital piano instead of renting a concert grand in order to keep production costs down.  To that end I tried several digital keyboards and finally decided on purchasing a Kurzweil PC4 for this purpose.  The PC4 provided not only wonderful acoustic piano samples, but also offered synthesis, tonal control, realistic touch-sensitive keybed, digital effects, user sampling capability, and layered sound design, all of which naturally attracted me from a composer's and performer's point of view - plus the price was right!

I have performed some of these in concert on acoustic pianos, but I plan to perform live in concert a group of these on the Kurzweil PC4 Performance Controller.  This playlist publishes my studio performance of Distant Land on the PC4.   I am also working on a playlist featuring my studio performance of these on a Baldwin 7' Grand for comparison and consideration for pianists who prefer to perform these on the piano.  After working with the PC4, I discovered that the Kurzweil instrument enabled me to achieve a sound ideal closer to what I had imagined in my "inner ear", specifically the use of the Sostenuto pedal and layered sounds to extend long held notes, all of which tend to get lost on an acoustic grand.  Therefore, my own preference is to perform these on the PC4, but all performances are welcomed and encouraged, PC4 or Acoustic Grand!

No. 4 Largo Sarabande Chorale (Baldwin)

Composer of contemporary classical concert art music.  Peter's is a unique musical voice with singing dynamism and expressive color.  His works include pieces for orchestra, ensembles, voice, piano, and electronic/digital media.  Peter’s music embodies a hybrid stylistic approach and incorporates influences as diverse as Elliot Carter and Earle Brown, Rachmaninoff and Schoenberg, or Xenakis and Bach.  Visit his website to learn more about his music and background.

Peter Dickson Lopez

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