The Broken Mirror of Memory on Kickstarter

Astute readers of this blog will notice that it’s been a really, really long time since I’ve posted a new recording. I have not been musically idle, however! Oh no. I have been working my little pianist tusch off.

One of the projects I’ve been working on, years in the making, is now finally coming to fruition. It is a composition for bass clarinet and piano called The Broken Mirror of Memory. Here’s my attempt to describe the piece, from the score’s performance notes:

Entanglement, soliloquy, tango, flight: each movement poses a problem from which the next unfolds. Themes continually resurface, transformed, as the music reinvents its own past — the endless process Gabriel García Márquez described as “piecing together the broken mirror of memory from so many scattered shards.” The coda gathers everything together, grappling, burning down — and then, from the embers, a simple benediction emerges, present all along, now laid bare. We discover in retrospect that the music’s destination has always been its source.

I’ve made a recording with the excellent Pat O’Keefe on bass clarinet, and I’ve worked harder on this recording than any I’ve ever made. It takes the mixing and mastering to whole new level. I think it is my best work, and I can’t wait for you to hear it!

But … I’m not posting it on In the Hands just yet. “Oh, Paul!” you cry. “Hear me out!” I reply. First, I’m doing a Kickstarter project to get the recording printed up properly, so that you’ll be able to get a copy and hear it in its full CD-quality glory! Yay! If you can spare the five minutes, here’s a little video I made that discusses the piece and its story in more detail:

If you’ve enjoyed the recordings I’ve posted here over the years, please consider backing the project. I really put my heart into this, and I promise it’s worth it! And stay tuned — more is on the way.

Update: The campaign was a smashing success! The CD is now available.