$8.99
Sold by music on Tradebit
The world's largest download marketplace
3,271,365 satisfied buyers
The world's largest download marketplace
3,271,365 satisfied buyers
MP3 Michelle Ende' And The Bay Area Philharmonic - Music For Sunsets: The Nine Piano Rhapsodies
9 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Orchestral, CLASSICAL: Keyboard Music
Details:
Music for Sunsets, Opus. 117; The Nine Piano Rhapsodies
This is glorious music for piano and orchestra, in the tradition of the Romantic composers. Bring this CD, a picnic basket, your favorite bottle of wine and watch the sun set!
The Piano Rhapsody No. 1 - Castillo: A single note heralds the evening over the old abandoned castle. We stand there with our cameras looking and slowly, there emerges an old scene of Conquistadors returning from battle, weary with the wounds of war, but full of the tales of battle. As one great warrior after another dismounts, the women and children beg for stories, and first one, then another tells of the great battles in far off lands. Tales of heroism ensue; tales of terror, victory and defeat at the hands of the enemy. We see the great castle lights come up and the glory of old Spain is rekindled. The great walls shimmer in the sunlight. Ah, and as the last lights of sun breach the battlements, the lights within the castle slowly die, and our cameras and imaginations snap what is left of this romantic era. We go away disappointed of course, as darkness and the reality of when and where we are slowly return. What a dream it was!
The Piano Rhapsody No. 8 - Farewell: We have left a loved one abroad. Wishing to stay in this foreign land, the ships horn blows once and we are off, slowly leaving our memories of her and this land behind. Waves slowly lap at the great ship and I race to the stern to catch one last glimpse of my love waving from the pier, the magnificent city of Lisbon behind her. But of the entire city I see only her, only her. I wonder now, what will become of me. What will become of her? We have been together so long, that I know this earth only through her eyes. I sketch the notes for a great rhapsody which will state my love, but it is not enough. My heart hurts with this love pain and I see little comfort in the world around me. The salt of my tears mixes easily with the waters of the great ocean we are sailing through. Ah me!
The Piano Rhapsody No. 9 - Lynnie’s Song: She is a wondrous woman. I have left her behind in a foreign land, as she would not leave the place. Her smile haunts me as readily as any lovely memory. My heart wants only to say goodbye to this world as it can not be a livable place without her by my side. As we travel on into the night, I see the truth of the thing; that we must be apart now and she will return to me. She will return to me and it is with this hope that I move to my cabin, letting the ship rock me slowly into oblivion.
The Piano Rhapsody No. 2 – Coming Home: We arrive home in the lush lands of Florida and for a moment, I am restored. The green, lush grass, the sweet air, endeavors to bring my heart back to me. I have been away in a foreign land and I have left my love there. But it is here that I must now find myself, if that is at all possible. I wander from the ship into the port town and walk briskly to a favorite park of mine. I pass by open windows and smell the aromas of many meals, yet I keep walking until I arrive at this special place. A small gathering of musicians are playing concerts in the park, as I knew they would. A piano stands empty, as if waiting for me. They greet me with their instruments so as not interrupt the music. I wait for the break and I join in. I am home and here is where I will find myself once again, within the borders not of this land, but of these black and white keys.
The Piano Rhapsody No. 3 – For Rosie: It has been a while since my return when I meet Rosie. She is a seven year old daughter of a dear friend of mine. Rosie loves the sight of Gerber Daisies. She can’t get enough of them. I am meeting them, Rosie and her mother at a nearby coffee shop and bring a bouquet of these wonderful flowers. They look like a bundled rainbow, and I smile broadly as I lift them up to her when we meet. Her bright eyes grasp the flowers and I see hope for all of us in those eyes. Her mother and I talk as Rosie gathers, separates, and re-gathers the bouquet, laying the flowers about her. I look to the heavens and among the tree branches shafts of light seek the ground. Looking back to Rosie, I breathe in deeply and realize that the world is wonderful and that it is worth going on as long as there are Rosie’s who live in it.
The Piano Rhapsody No. 4 – The Letter: It is coming on September and the air is changing. There is quickness in my step as I realize that the heat of Florida is leaving. As I bound up the steps I pick up a letter from the post box. It is addressed to me. It is from my love. I open it slowly. I have not heard from her since the spring. I read slowly, taking in every word. I can hear her voice in the words. I can smell her perfume. I can almost embrace her. She says she loves me still. She says she is feeling better. She is saying that she will be returning to me soon. My heart is bursting and I cannot contain myself. How bright the world has just gotten. How sweet the birdsong, how delightful the smell of the world. I think a shadowy thought that this is only temporary and that she will lapse again into darkness and will not come to me. But I know this is not true. She will return to me once more. We will walk this sweet earth together.
The Piano Rhapsody No. 5 – Reverie: Fall has come and I am alone still. Will she never come? My days toil on and I see little meaning in what I do. Brief interludes of beauty at the park where we play our music help, but I see her in all the faces I gaze upon. I visit all of the spots we once knew and it is not the same. The diner on the beach, the small park in Sarasota, the shops in Tarpon where we so often went, in all of these places I see only space. It was the presence of “us” that made these places special. Without her, they are only things to look upon. I look out over an endless sea and wonder what she is doing now. Is she truly better? Will she come to me? And so these days go, in ecstasy and despair, pivoting between the two. And I wait…and I wait.
The Piano Rhapsody No. 6 – The Return: And as Fall begins to wane into Winter, I receive the news I have been waiting for. My love is coming home. She will be home within the week. I am speechless with anticipation and my days suddenly take on a frenzy they had not taken on before. I am torn between running to the port and staying put at my work. I find it difficult to think and seek the solace of friend, who themselves, are no comfort. And slowly the days comes round like an errant postman who has lost his way among the streets of the world. I drive slowly to the pier where her ship will come in. And I see her. She steps gingerly from the gang way to the same concrete upon which I stand. And before she can look up, I am by her side, embracing her with all of the love that I can muster. It is truly a glorious day. The earth has reawakened. My heart has rejoined me. My heart, my love, my soul; yes there is a God, a loving friend who has restored my love to me. We leave the port and walk slowly among the low hanging trees. We are home now and the world has been restored to me.
The Piano Rhapsody No. 7 – From Hyde Park: We are in Hyde Park and the fall leaves are just turning. We gaze upon the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and watch the shimmer of the sun on the sea. Our love has never been stronger. Our love has never been truer. From this great point we can see the world at its own play. We are observers here, seeking only the touch of each other as we watch. Seagulls fly low, waves play high, and trees whisper the wisdom of the world in our ears. It is this: The love for each other is the only real thing in this life; the touch of one upon another is the only meaning the world can truly give you, the rest must be taken. We know this as we sit upon our tiny chairs in this tiny piece of the great universe of things and it is enough. It is truly enough. What was lost is now found. It is more than enough. It is everything. It is life itself.
People who are interested in Sergei Rachmaninoff should consider this download.
File Data