Prelude in Em  (Chopin)  remixed and remastered

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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

Enjoy the music video it's a blast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcHY4EX7BUk

Once again, I am beside myself with joy to honour the memory of my high school bestie Dan Wayne Dunlop (October 4, 1957 – November 17, 2012), by producing and publishing his original song "Out In A Week".  Dan and I first met in junior high school, and we became best friends in high school.  We were bad, had tons of fun and jammed together often for many years. 

Dan wrote "Out In A Week" in the late 1970s, recording it on a cassette player using a drum machine, his guitar, and his own vocals.  I first attempted to revive the song I had on cassette using AI technology, but that didn't pan out.  Instead, and with the contributions of some amazing musicians, I re-recorded the song, performing the vocals, alto sax and keys. 

In many ways Dan was my mentor, I admired his independent nature, talent and drive.  A born comedian, cartoonist, singer, guitarist, puppeteer, film producer, radio talk show host, cameraman, film editor and, with all that talent, he also had a big heart. Truly an outstanding person who influenced so many people who are to this day grateful to have known him.  I hope I did him proud with my rendition of  "Out In A Week" and the music video.  Once again, I feel great pride and love in keeping his legacy alive by immortalizing his artistry.  I love you brother (RIP).

The Song:

"Out In A Week", with its hard-hitting blues-rock vibe, sentences the listener to jail for criminal behaviour, followed by the elation that accompanies the prospect of getting out in a week.

Song: Out In A Week
Lyrics: Dan Wayne Dunlop, AKA Fastmandan & Thomas Patton AKA TomCattt
Recorded at TJP Entertainment North York, Ontario and Pezmosis Music Productions Oak Ridges, Ontario
Mixed and Mastered: Mark Pezzelato at Pezmosis Music Productions Oak Ridges, Ontario https://www.pezmosis.com/
Production and Engineering: Thomas Patton
Lead and Harmony Vocals: Thomas Patton
Keyboard: Thomas Patton
Alto Saxophone: Thomas Patton 
                            : Selmer SAS711B
Bass Guitar: Bernie Serrao
Electric Guitar: Dan Strudwick AKA Brother Daniel
Drums: Mark Pezzelato
              https://www.pezmosis.com/
Album Cover: Thomas Patton
Photography: Thomas Patton
Copyright: 1182165

Cattt Man Do

Out In A Week

Stream

Title track from our title track from our debut album out now!

NEW ALBUM OUT NOW! LISTEN HERE!

SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/album/1kb6C7OYXgbehQhJ9sOZOo

APPLE MUSIC - https://music.apple.com/gb/album/too-broke-for-money/1843961534

Lyrics - 

Too broke, too broke

Wallet’s empty, tank on E
But who needs cash when we’re wild and free
Skip the rent, burn the mail
Turn this night into a fairy tale

We don’t need your validation
We’re the broke-ass generation

I’m too broke for money, but I’m rich in friends
Living off pizza crusts and weekend plans
Laugh at the bills we’ll never pay
Who cares anyway

Too broke but still alive
Rowdy as hell, we’ll survive

Too Broke For Money

But when you're next to me, you'll feel like my one and only...

Next to Me

Next To Me

Waiting for Another Day

beat by INNER BEATS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LZ4gu1Pzaw&list=RD9LZ4gu1Pzaw&start_radio=1

My Apollagy

Me, Myself

Captivity is not about heartbreak — it’s a chilling descent into real psychological imprisonment. Identity is stripped away, reality rewritten, and freedom itself begins to feel dangerous.

Drawing on captivity trauma theory, Stockholm Syndrome, and behavioral conditioning, Exzenya transforms her voice and production into a cinematic portrait of control and isolation. The track opens with a haunting reinterpretation of the folk refrain “Down in the valley…” delivered in a rare, resonant low vocal, paired with hollow wind that feels like a broken transmission through an old radio. From there, the song builds into a dark, minor-key arrangement where vocals climb into plaintive highs, mirroring the push and pull of despair and yearning.

Captivity isn’t just a song — it’s a haunting story set to music. Opening with the ghostly echo of “Down in the valley” and a chilling wind, Exzenya pulls listeners into a dark world of isolation and control. Her deep, resonant lows and emotional highs make every line feel like a cry from the inside of a locked room. Cinematic, eerie, and unforgettable — this is storytelling that feels like a film score trapped inside a pop song.

FFO: Billie Eilish, Halsey, Aurora, Lorde
Tone: Dark, haunting, emotional, surrendering

Captivity

BLUES - MOTHER OF SWAMP CITY
Tim Sanders - Guitar 
Ron Snyder - Bass & Drum Arrangement 

Tim Sanders.
https://soundcloud.com/user-486905636


Sanders & Snyder - The Six Foot Rule Blues (Instrumental)

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.

Journey of a Dragonfly for Orchestra

Robert Paterson Composer