I. The Rise of Blue (Alfred Joseph)
the glass of night shatters
when sun splits its panes
on this day the rise is blue.
the first beam batters Night
with a stream of azure light.
the darkness decays
the blue sun heightens
the sky appears like a deep sea.
the color of death
caresses each face watching
onlookers, joyless
onlookers, faced-blue
their races erased by a common hue
the people move in dread
when separated from a sun of red
slow and slower they creep through the daze
the color of death descends and sets
drowning the sky in splinters of green,
leaving purple scars
the odd colors fade as the moon
triumphs in the air
Night reclaims her space
II. Dreams of Green (Alfred Joseph)
Sculpt me Dreams
Paint me joys
Let green lies
Prevent my doom
Your emptiness
Your loneliness
Gone with fantasy
The lush repairs your broken bones
Heals your mind
From the reign of life
Terror of life
Gone with fantasy
If I Dream I’m not dying
I can exist elsewhere in a true life
In my Dreams
Love can exist
In my Dreams
Love does exist
Dreams can erase
Blood and Coffins
Will the Green gaps in my mind
End the terror
Remaining and reigning?
Dreams of Green lies
III. Dances of Orange
She was all alone in life
A lonely soul
She spent her days walking
Trying to find reason
One day she found a forest
the trees were black, the sky was orange
Black trees dancing to a fiddle
The sky was orange
Black trees were dancing
To a fiddle
So she danced with them
That dancing forest is always there
Now when she’s alone
She dances against orange sky
IV. The Words of Red
From Blue came a time of great suffering amongst the masses.
From Green came the suffering of disconnection and ignorance.
From Orange came relief, meaning, and purpose.
All these, and so many more, flow into the great Love of Red.
From mass suffering,
To personal suffering,
To resolution,
So goes the Way of Red.
And every person
Every soul
Every experience
Shall follow this Path of Red.
Red is in all things
In all time
The bridge between opposites
Everything that helps
Red is all that is true
All that is false
All that is beautiful
All that is ugly
We are all Red
Born from Blue, Green, Orange, and so many others
Born from the greatest pain and the worst of sufferings
Born from the strongest forgiveness and the deepest love
May all life become one and ascend through Pain into Love.
The Words of Red.
Hymn: “I Love This World, O Red”
I love this world, O Red
This world of Love
Thank you for this world, O Red
Thank you Red, my Lord
In Love there is meaning
There is divinity
So thank you for this world, O Red
For in life there is Love
In creating this universe of color and love
You have given us all we need
O Thank you Red, my Lord
Some still don’t understand
They still think only of themselves
But by your infinite grace, O Red
They will soon see the truth
That Love is the meaning of life
That Love is the purpose too
That Love is Red.
Amen.
about
This work was written mostly in 2013, and the final edits were completed months before the recording session in 2016. It was an experiment in many ways, an attempt to fuse a small amount of musical material with a progressive narrative. The religious nature of the narrative came from a very personal place at the time, but I attempted carefully to avoid any overt religious suggestion.
Alfred Joseph’s work on this project was unfortunately cut short when he had to opt out to focus on other projects, but it was an immense contribution. I can’t thank him enough for the beautiful poetry he composed. It lent itself to music very deeply.
The piece is structured in four movements, with three narratives that move progressively towards the resolution of the finale. Musically, each movement is generally structured around cycles of two chords, one dissonant and one consonant. In the fourth movement, this cycle is broken and the chords are combined into one flow.
It was a great privilege to have the opportunity to work with the fantastic musicians in the Cascade Quartet, and I am forever in debt to my aunt Kate for her incredible performance here. As always, I owe a lot to my dad Rob for his help and generosity in realizing this project.
I would also like to give a special thanks to Marjorie, Michelle, Maja, Wesley, and Lee Kohler, Paul Safar, all of our friends at the Victory Church, Marta Jurjevich, Barbara Jazwinski, Colin Kemper, Kevin George, Jared Burrows, Cecilee Kranzthor, all the members of the Sam Kohler New Music Ensemble, Malik Chaney, Ellen McCusker, and Lucy Tucker.
And of course my eternal gratitude to everyone who donated to my campaign this time around. I wish I could list all of you here, but this could not have happened without all of you.
credits
released July 1, 2016
Kate Kohler, Soprano
Mary Paupolis, Violin
Megan Karls, Violin
Maria Ritzenthaler, Viola
Thaddeus Suits, Violoncello
Music Composed by Sam Kohler
Text for Mvts. I and II written by Alfred Joseph
Text for Mvts. III and IV written by Sam Kohler
Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Rob Kohler
Produced by Sam Kohler and Rob Kohler
Executive Producer: Sam Kohler
Cover Art: Kyla Yager
Cover Design: Rob Kohler
Recorded June 24, 2016 at the Victory Church in Great Falls, MT
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