Peaceful city slept as usual that night 
When engineers conducted fatal test 
Dark sky lit bright by ionized flashlight 
Cruel blast will lay their souls to rest
 
Faceless authorities gave order to assure 
While firefighters fought the toxic blaze 
There is no need to worry rest assured 
Internal organs liquefied in coming days
 
Human flesh
Was enough to go around
No one knows
How much went underground
 
Residents gathered on the bridge of death 
While hidden enemy attacked their skin 
For most this will dictate their final breath 
Regardless of their moral good or sin
 
Unsure which augmentations they possess 
Some lucky children made it to adulthood
Their city has some tourists to impress
With stories of a glowing underwood

Human flesh
Was enough to go around
No one knows
How much went underground
Human lives
Were dispensable as soap
Reckless lies
Buried all remaining hope

Residents gathered on the bridge of death 
While hidden enemy attacked their skin 
For most this will dictate their final breath 
Regardless of their moral good or sin

Human flesh
Was enough to go around
No one knows
How much went underground
Human lives
Were dispensable as soap
Reckless lies
Buried all remaining hope

Sacrificed the liquidators marched ahead
Bled and burned while the world was hanging by a thread
Giving up their final poisoned breath
Selflessly averting swift and certain death




Lyrics - Vasiliy Dubinin/Matt Tessier
Music, arrangement, mixing and mastering - Sergey Pismerov
Cover art - Andrey Pismerov

Participated in the recording:
Andrés Arcentales - vocals
Ellie Dubinin - vocal harmonies
Sergey Pismerov - guitars/programming/drum recording
Danila Zakharenkov - bass
Andrey Yanochkin - keyboard/sound design

Ghost of 86 (feat. Cold Fuse)

This one is a reference to the horsemen of Apocalypse. It was composed just before the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Army. Robert, gently accepted to add his amazing guitar playing on it.

Lead guitar by Robert Grigg : https://soundcloud.com/robert-grigg

The horsemen (lead guitar by Robert Grigg)

A Dream I Could Fly (Badly)

All Music by Me

Special Thanks to Kahlan Davis and Dani Ford.

Cover by BRRT (Pixabay)

Clouds (Dreamer Mix)

Satisfied With Jesus

My Favorite Christmas Tune - Sumi 44100 16+

Force of Element

Duration: ca. 7'
Performed by U.S. Coast Guard Band (Live Performance), Richard Wyman, Conductor
For more information: https://robertpaterson.com/firecracker-alley
Publisher - Bill Holab Music: http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=firecracker

PROGRAM NOTES
Growing up, one of my favorite pastimes was setting off firecrackers with friends. We knew our parents wouldn't approve and would punish us if they found out—which made it all the more exciting—so we would meet in a secluded neighborhood alley. We had all sorts of firecrackers with crazy sounding names like Thunder Bombs, Crrackfires, Cherry Bombs, Sonic Booms, and so on, not to mention bottle rockets.

Setting off firecrackers made us feel empowered. We were literally playing with fire and knew we were doing something dangerous—after all, we could lose a finger, or even an eye—but it was exciting all the same. We would purchase fireworks from shops across the Canadian border where they were legal. Or, more accurately, we would find teenagers with cars and a penchant for mischief; they had quite a racket selling fireworks on the sly to younger kids in the neighborhood.

Part of the fun in creating Firecracker Alley was figuring out which effects sound firecracker-like. Of course, I call for multiple slapsticks, but there are also loud drums, rim shots, whistles, lines in the winds that are reminiscent of bottle rockets. Through it all, there are fanfare-like brass passages that capture the excitement and joy of setting off firecrackers.

Firecracker Alley for Wind Band (Live)

Duration: ca. 21'
Music by Robert Paterson • Lyrics by David Cote

Instrumentation: soprano and chamber ensemble (wind doubler [flute, B-flat clarinet, oboe], violin, cello, percussion, piano)
Performed by American Modern Ensemble, Marnie Breckenridge, Soprano
Formerly titled "In Real Life."

Purchase Sheet Music: (Version for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble): http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=2778

Purchase Sheet Music: (Version for Soprano and Piano): http://www.billholabmusic.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=103_137&products_id=2777

For more information:
Version for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble: https://robertpaterson.com/in-real-life-version-for-soprano-and-chamber-ensemble
Version for Soprano and Piano: https://robertpaterson.com/in-real-life-version-for-soprano-and-piano

In Real Life II for baritone and chamber ensemble and baritone and piano also available. (In Real Life II consists of different songs than In Real Life.)

PROGRAM NOTE
Forty million Americans do it: join a dating site hoping to find true love in digital space. In Real Life is a song cycle for soprano and piano that explores the humor and heartbreak of this modern ritual. Five women fill out their dating-site profiles, opening a window into their worlds. The first song is “A Regular Woman,” in which a lady outlines the exact sort of man she’s looking for with comical specificity, perfect for today’s on-demand culture. “Late Bloomer” is a sweet and wistful portrait of a woman who learns in her 40s that her romantic tastes have changed radically. Next, in “Anastasia,” we hear from a Russian looking for a husband—with all the broken English that entails. With “Collateral,” the mood turns dark, as a war widow contemplates returning to the dating pool. Finally, “Rewind” is a nostalgic anthem by a 35-year-old whose divorce has made her feel like an awkward teen again. Can she learn something from her younger self? Funny and sad yet full of hope, In Real Life is about reality, fantasy and second chances. In Real Life was commissioned by Austin Chamber Ensemble Artistic Director Martha Mortensen Ahern, in honor of its 35th season.

American Modern Ensemble: In Real Life

In Real Life I - II. Late Bloomer

Springtime For An Autumn King

Ultraviolence

American composer Robert Paterson is a true New Yorker—born and bred in Buffalo, he lived in Rochester and Ithaca for over ten years, in New York City for over twenty years, and now lives in Saratoga Springs, near the Adirondacks. Paterson’s colorful music embraces a wide variety of themes, everything from goddesses and online dating to mathematics and the environment. His music is filled with emotion and fierce rhythmic energy, marked by elegance, wit, and meticulous craftsmanship. Named Composer of The Year by the Classical Recording Foundation at Carnegie Hall, Paterson is the winner of the Alfred I. DuPont Award, and his opera Three Way won the Grammy® under Best Classical Producer of the Year. His music is often a Best of the Year pick on National Public Radio. His orchestral tone poem, Dark Mountains, regularly airs on NPR’s Performance Today. Three Way premiered with Nashville Opera, then BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music), and across the United States. Minnesota Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, The Oratorio Society of New York, Buffalo Philharmonic, Albany Pro Musica, Albany Symphony, Musica Sacra, Austin Symphony, Vermont Symphony, and ensembles worldwide perform his works. Paterson gives masterclasses at the Curtis Institute of Music, New York University, the Aspen Music Festival, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and more. He is the Artistic Director and house composer for Mostly Modern Projects. Robert is a lifelong vegan and advocates for animals and the environment, celebrating the natural world with ground-breaking works such as his Triple Concerto, A New Eaarth, Listen, and I Go Among Trees.

Firecracker Alley for Wind Band (Live)

Robert Paterson Composer