Name: Wind Quintet, First Movement by Megumi Okamoto
Duration: 2 min 12 s
Description: I have acquired a new hobby of keeping a fish tank. I only have mostly aquatic snails in it, but I become totally absorbed as I watch them. This movement is not about an aquarium per se, but it does describe the peace of mind I discovered in the recent days.

It's a wonderful space. When people observe something and concentrate, aren't their brainwaves a gentle flow like this sound? Or are they waves full of ups and downs? When we reflect our heart on something, all distracting emotions are blocked. It must be a wonderful time!

The Roads We Roam

“Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise.” – Victor Hugo

The older I get, the earlier I seem to wake up every morning, which means I see the sun rise every day. It never gets old. I love the beauty of the sun gently rising, as it slowly erases the dark night sky and paints the blue sky with accents of orange and pink. The birds wake up singing, and nature comes to life again after a night of rest. Every dawn is beautiful, bringing not only the gift of a new day but also hope and wonder at the miracle of it all. While the dark night has a beauty of its own that we sometimes struggle to see, it is the dawn that truly reminds us what a gift it is to be alive.

Waiting For The Dawn

Music inspired by Arthurian legends and Avalon. According to legend, Arthur would one day return to Britain to lead again when he is most needed. Arthur was taken to the isle of Avalon to be healed from his mortal wound following the Battle of Camlann, to eventually awaken and rule again. Hence the myth "Once and Future King".

Between the Worlds II

Once and Future King

No More Words

Hajnalban a várost járva, szűk utcák félhomálya vár
Az óra meg-meg áll.
Lassan múlnak így a percek, távolban halvány fények
A múltad árnya újra rád talál.

Ha visszahozhatnád az éveket
Megtennéd azt, amit már nem lehet
Elmondhatnám talán elhiszed,
Hogy Neked is jár még, újra élheted.

Fényben fürdik most a város, sok titkot mélyre ásott már
A vesztes félreállt.
Összeköt, ha úgy kívánja, elszakít mert jónak látja,
Idővel lassan minden összeállt.

Ha visszahozhatnád az éveket
Megtennéd azt, amit már nem lehet
Elmondhatnám talán elhiszed,
Hogy Neked is jár még, újra élheted.

Csendesebb lett már a város, utcalámpa fénye álmos még
Mindenkit hazakísér.
Visszatérő rémes álmok, minden éjjel újra látod
Benned él, de egyszer véget ér.

Neked is jár még

I think it’s just the music playing over the end credits of the old film (obviously titled "In case nothing happens") our two friends (assuming they really are our friends) were watching before falling asleep. So there’s nothing to worry about: nothing has happened. It’s not a real alien invasion, nor is it the end of our civilization. Or maybe it’s not a film at all, but a live breaking news broadcast? If that were the case, and if something really had happened, I still don’t think we should be sad or angry, desperate or ready to run away. Let’s stay positive! (all talk, of course...).

This is the sixth in a series of eight easy, acoustic, rather short (except for this one), and deliberately inconclusive tracks, assembled by combining new ideas with reworked older material, adding parts and sounds along the way. Since the perspective has changed, the meaning of the music had to change as well, so I moved from an acoustic guitar base to a piano one.

Part 1 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-1-night
Part 2 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-2-dawn
Part 3 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-3-noon
Part 4 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-4-late-afternoon
Part 5 here: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/in-case-nothing-happens-part-5-night-again

Composed by Michele Ansani (2022-2025). I reworked on the chords and melodies from an old track I didn’t like, which had remained only in draft form: https://soundcloud.com/michele-ansani/slowness.
All the ambient noises and female vocals are taken from public sound archives.
Posted on SoundCloud: 2025, November 25.

In case nothing happens - part 6 (dawn again)*

The song isn't quite finished, but I'd like to upload it as early as possible in December, even though you can listen to it at any time of year. Since I don't have any more time this year, it's coming out now on SC. I'm happy with it as it is. I don't always like the vocals in the second verse, so I would re-record some parts. The bass is just a first draft and the mix (the volume of the individual instruments could certainly be improved). But I'm happy with it as it is. Anyone who doesn't like it this way wouldn't like the revised version either. Let's go it's:
December
I ride my bike through the frozen streets
memories of different past years meet
from the suburb to the city I go
while in the air there's a little bit of snow

there's to the right the street to my old school
where some of the boys often played the fool
I hear in a distance the sound of the sea
the harbor comes in sight
the boats lie silent and the sails are dry
the beach cafe has been closed for months
back next season in Mai I will be welcome
in summer I had ice cream and coffee there, was awesome

shops with frosty glass
as the day has passed
in the city the light shine bright
festive colors in the night
it's this peaceful month
it is Christmas coming
preparations running

while in my face the cold wind blows
in the shops with glowing windows
the Christmas season silently shows
the scent of cinnamon is in the air
decorated houses are everywhere
the market place ahead
with yellow busses and people widespread
it's this months the calm December
the good moments of the year you remember
as the year fades into quiet slumber
----
Have a great Christmas time and December and rest of the year!


December

“It seems like everything sleeps in winter, but it’s really a time of renewal and reflection.”  – Elizabeth Camden

“Wisdom comes with winters.” – Oscar Wilde

Winter Reflection

156 - In The Wake Of A Whispered Spark

I have acquired a new hobby of keeping a fish tank. I only have mostly aquatic snails in it, but I become totally absorbed as I watch them. This movement is not about an aquarium per se, but it does describe the peace of mind I discovered in the recent days.

Wind Quintet, First Movement

given my list of themes when I started working on my album “Despair,” here is my fourth-to-last song.

have you already been to an immersive art exhibition? using VR and AR glasses, 3D mapping, elaborately designed projections, and sophisticated soundscapes, these institutions offer the opportunity to witness art in a multisensory and emotional way.

before the remarkable advent of digital technology, this special pleasure could only be experienced by consuming widely discredited plants such as magic mushrooms, mescaline cacti, or a hawaiian baby woodrose. or through an instrument that has been almost replaced by electronic entertainment: human imagination.

this atrophying ability can unfold effects by far more immersive than anything that could ever be achieved through digital simulation because every imagination is absolutely unique, solely existing in the mind of the individual. 

think of the paintings by caspar david friedrich: heaps of immersive power for unique experiences, interpretations and lively discussions (one of carina and my favorite pastimes).

there is this enigmatic work, “winter landscape with church,” (see wikipedia), which at first glance shows exactly what its title suggests. but then you discover a detail in this scene, which has sparked the imagination of the many experts who have attempted to interpret it. many have identified religious messages in it.

I – largely unimpressed by christian iconography and theological confirmation bias – I just feel the icy cold mist creeping into my clothes, into my skin, into my bones. I smell the piercing frost in the air as the white fragrance of a vast nothingness. I hear the heavy silence of the snow. somewhere, the cry of a crow echoes, and an old tree sighs and cracks. I see the inhospitable outline of a cathedral, like a lifeless mirage from another world. and then, in front of me, I witness an infinitely wordless tragedy.

a person. in ultimate self-abandonment. in despair that leaves everything behind. following one final illusion that transforms a lonely death into a dream. a dream I tried to turn into a song. 

no need for special glasses.

©music and lyrics by Hans-Michael Albers, translational support by deepl, instrumental cover & vocal performance by suno 5


He drops in the snow where the cold winds bite
No clue where he’s heading, no strength left to fight 
His crutches tossed down like: Man, I’m done 
Breath turning to clouds in the weak morning sun

Tiny fir trees stand there, quiet and small 
Iced-up and shivering but still standing tall 
They’ve taken the storms and they’ve ridden the night
But damn, they look peaceful in that pale blue light

Lone, lost in hope
No way to cope
Ice freezing breath
Tears
Grief 
And death

Through the fog in the distance a steeple breaks through 
Like a half-faded signal saying: Hey, still you 
A ghost of a promise in the silence and snow 
A place for the lost when they’ve got nowhere to go

He stares at that church with a shake in his chest 
Worn-out as hell but still trying his best 
And something inside, real tiny, real thin
Goes: Yeah, you’re hurting, but you’re not cashing in

Lone, lost in hope…

He hauls himself up with the last of his drive
Snow on his jacket but wait, he’s alive 
And the church just waits there, calm like it knows: 
You’re stuck in the frost, but you’ll get where you go

Lone, lost in hope…


Lone, lost in hope

Hi! My name is Megumi (my former name was “Lemon” on SoundCloud).

There is nothing more fascinating for me than not knowing what music will come out of me today!

Many of the pieces I upload here are for solo piano. (Some are performed by me, but the performances of the recent uploads are created on Staffpad app on my iPad.) My latest projects are a set of pieces for viola and piano, and 24 preludes & 24 etudes for piano. The scores for these are becoming accessible through the link that is provided in the description of the piece, so please check them out.

I am a classical pianist based in Canada. 
Having completed a master's degree in music theory and a doctorate in piano performance, I am currently teaching and composing. I am also learning viola for fun! I would love to meet and connect with other musicians and get to know your works!

Wind Quintet, First Movement

Megumi Okamoto

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