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Fairy Tales - darker than Tinkerbell!

Let's get this out of the way right at the start... this is a concept album. Terry, the creative force behind Purple Rhapsody, has this to say: "My aim when I set out was not to create a concept album! I wanted the tracks to all be related in spirit to fairy tales, movies, etc but didn’t intend any shared themes to be used... and then I wrote Dervish and everything changed."

Chinese Whispers: Dervish is the first track out of four on the album that all share the same theme but have been arranged and recorded in completely different ways: "In my head I heard so many different ways that the piece could be developed and so from Dervish sprang the series of Chinese Whispers tracks which all have the same basic thematic start but then develop in different ways..."

People often think of fairy tales as being full of light and fun but they always have a darker side - witches, monsters, black magic, invading armies, etc so although this album does contain lighter pieces there are a lot of darker moments too. You can listen to the whole album, track by track, in the player above. Enjoy!

The cover image contains graphics by Tim Baker (http://smakeupfx.deviantart.com) and Gabriella Fabbri (http://www.sxc.hu/profile/duchessa) and are used with their very kind permission.

Tracks

Once Upon A Time

What else could the first track of an album of Fairy Tales be called? This track is a complete fairy tale in just under 8 minutes. Setting the scene, building the theme, disappointment, power, and the hint of a 'happily ever after' towards the end...

Chinese Whispers: Dervish

Chinese Whispers is a game that children used to play. A word or phrase was whispered to one child and then the child whispered it to another, who then whispered it to another, etc, etc each child would vary it slightly as they passed it on. At the end of the chain of children someone had to work out what the original word or phrase was. The series of tracks called Chinese Whispers on this album all have the same original melody, played by a solo 'cello in this track, which is then developed in different ways throughout the album.

Lost Love

The sadness of losing your loved one. Of course in fairy tales this is usually actually a loss, not a death, so although this track is fraught with sadness and frustration it is not meant to signify any more than that.

The Court Of Intrigue

All palace courts have their spies... I'm not saying that one of them may be called James Bond but this track does imply it ;-)

The Ball: Love At First Dance

Prince and Princess falling in love while waltzing at the ball. Awwwwww.

The Ball: Prince

The eternal questions a prince must ask when his princess-to-be runs off at midnight! What happened...? Did we connect? Does she love me? Who's foot will fit the glass slipper...?

The Ball: Princess

The sad princess-to-be (okay, let's call her Cinderella). Full of doubts about her worth, ran away from the ball, and doesn't know that she will find her Prince Charming!

Advancing Army

The title says it all really... there's a bad army, and it's advancing towards the good guys!

Chinese Whispers: Lonely Minstrel

A travelling minstrel - lonely as is his wont - strumming along to the Devish theme

The Tortoise and the Hare

Everyone knows the story of the Tortoise and the Hare, don't they...? Well, it's a fable in which the moral is 'slow and steady wins the race'. The track has short but distinct sections: The start is where they're lining up to race... and then, they're off and the hare runs into the distance. The hare then decides he's so far ahead that he can afford to have a nap and the tortoise ambles past while he's sleeping... the hare awakes and realises that he's now behind and races for the finish line. All in 1 minute and 59 seconds of music :-)

Purple Sky

This track is not directly related to any particular fairy tale - it just depicts dreamy floating through a clear sky

Chinese Whispers: The Chase

A chase scene. All good stories have them - in this one the good guy is racing through the desert to rescue his princess

Tilting At Windmills

Poor old Don Quixote, and even poorer old Sancho Panza. This track has a Spanish flavour but is still quintessential Purple Rhapsody

Chinese Whispers: Romance

Solo piano depicting a fairy tale romance

Final Battle

Powerful and epic. Pumping bass, symphonic choir, full orchestra, pounding piano, and grinding electric guitar. The prologue to a 'happy ever after' is always the battle between good and evil and this piece of music fits the bill!

Equipment Used during Recording

The following is a list of all the equipment and software I used during the recording of the album, not in any particular order.

• 'Proper' instruments:
• Yamaha Clavinova CLP-130
• Fender Stratocaster
• Tanglewood Electro-Acousitc Guitar
• Stagg Electro-Classical Guitar
• Oldfield 5-string Electric Bass Guitar
• Computer-based instruments and equipment
• Dell Vostro 1700 laptop - Windows Vista 32-bit, 3GB RAM, dual hard drives
• E-MU 0404 USB Audio Interface
• Cakewalk SONAR Studio version 8
• - and most of the included instruments and channel tools
• East West Quantum Leap Virutal Instruments
• - Symphonic Orchestra Gold
• - Symphonic Choirs
• - Storm Drum 2
• - Gypsy
• - Ministry Of Rock
• Evolve Mutations
• Native Instruments Kore Player
• Amplitube
• CMPlay (free with Computer Music magazine)
• Nero 7 Wave Studio

Here come the drums!

Endless Lives is the first Purple Rhapsody album to include percussion on most of the tracks. However, this isn't just your standard drum kit... the album's overall sound has been created by adding inspiration from many modern movie soundtracks to the already broad range of influences in the Purple Rhapsody sound.

Terry Robinson, the driving force behind Purple Rhapsody, says "Perhaps I shouldn't admit to this but... this is very much a concept album - which is considered a very dated idea." The concept that Terry is talking about is the idea of reincarnation. Although the album doesn't tell an actual story the general idea is of 2 souls starting their journey separately and eventually finding each other as the Soulmates they were always meant to be. "I'm an old romantic at heart", he admits, "and I love the idea of the power of 2 souls destined to be together coming closer and closer through many lives and then finally meeting".

The cover image contains images by magicmarie (http://www.sxc.hu/profile/magicmarie) and g-point (http://www.sxc.hu/profile/g-point) and are used with their very kind permission.

Tracks

First Life

Confusion and strife are ingrained in some lives; tranquility in other lives. This track symbolises the birth of two souls; completely different people in completely different times, but they are destined to become soulmates. Some of the musical themes in this track come back in later tracks as echoes from the experiences of the first life.

In Love

The pomposity of young love; and the frustration of the love not being returned.

Astral Plane

After all the uncertainties and difficulties of life this is the place of peace between incarnations. But not for long...

Regression

Starting in a hypnotic trance the memories of past lives soon begin to surface...

Rebirth

Symbolilsing the rebirth of a soul.

Endless Lives

The continuous battle to survive and improve despite the presence of indefatigable eternal difficulties.

Soulmates

Finally! Two predestined souls meet and fall in love - power, rhythm, and ultimately some uncertainty about the future.

Infinity

Doubts... Is there an end, is there Nirvana, or is it just an infinite progression?

Equipment Used during Recording

The following is a list of all the equipment and software I used during the recording of the album, not in any particular order.

• 'Proper' instruments:
• Yamaha Clavinova CLP-130
• Fender Stratocaster
• Tanglewood Electro-Acousitc Guitar
• Stagg Electro-Classical Guitar
• Oldfield 5-string Electric Bass Guitar
• Computer-based instruments and equipment
• Dell Vostro 1700 laptop - Windows Vista 32-bit, 3GB RAM, dual hard drives
• E-MU 0404 USB Audio Interface
• Cakewalk SONAR Studio version 8
• - and most of the included instruments and channel tools
• East West Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Gold
• Native Instruments Kore Player
• Amplitube
• CMPlay (free with Computer Music magazine)
• Nero 7 Wave Studio

Purple Rhapsody's third album brings together the power and beauty of previous albums and combines them to produce the best album yet. Using new recording and production techniques the improved sound complements and brings forth the pure musicality that is Purple Rhapsody.

The cover image contains "Angel Silhouette" images created by Barun Patro and used with his kind permission. See his SXC page for more wonderful images.

Tracks

The Mirror of her Dreams

Mirrors are reflections of the real world and this piece begins with a mirrored melody, intertwining with the original and building. Other themes arrive and the end is the original theme but distorted out of shape by a different arrangement - upbeat, rousing, and emotionally charged

Anniversary

This was written as a 25th Anniversary 'gift' - there are two distinct themes, separated by a 'chorus' section, each of which define one side of the couple. The end brings both of these themes together in a powerful affirmation representing commitment and joy.

In Dreams

The title track - this is dreamy and light but with an undercurrent of tension creeping in the last time the main melody is repeated

Voyages in the Wilderness

In biblical times a prophet or religious person went out into the wliderness for "40 days and 40 nights", this idea is repeated in other religions and tribal rites of passage. A key part of the journey was being given a revelation via a dream. Voyages in the Wilderness traces the journey from the initial voyage to the revelation and then back to the original starting point but with a 'rearrangement' of the tune signifying the different perspective after the journey.

Aftermath

Symbolilses the sudden waking from a nightmare - the general fading of the dream, and then the odd recurring recollection of it.

Last Dance

The last dance before heading off to war - in the time of knights and medieval pomposity

Turning Over

In the middle of the night simply turning over in your sleep can move your dreams from tense, nightmarish proportions to dreams of flying - soaring effortlessly through the blue sky

Leaving Home

Leaving home to follow your dreams can often be a heart-wrenching and powerful experience

Lament for the Whales

The title and mood of this track say it all really....

Transient Emotions is the album that started it all off. This first CD from Purple Rhapsody is a collection of 11 self-contained instrumental pieces. The style varies from solo classical style piano through to apocalyptic multi-layered soundscapes of emotion but always has melody and continuity at heart. Note: Transient Emotions has been released through Ninewells Music International in the US with some changes to edits and track order. The music is almost the same but some of the tracks have been renamed and the order has been re-arranged. This altered version is known as Transient Emotion (note... no 's' on the end)

Tracks

First Steps

Quiet piano composition, first written in January 2005. Imparts a sense of peace but the use of some non-standard chord prgressions also imparts an impending sense of more to come. First track on Transient Emotions.

Sultry Sunday

A slightly moody, but very nice, meander through a Sunday.

Minor Variations

Quite simply the first couple of minutes set the theme and then it's followed by a few variations in a minor key. Not all of the variations follow a classical format.

Winter Sun

Pleasant interlude with piano and strings. Inspired by a beautiful winter sunset seen whilst driving north in December 2004.

Hurricane

First written as a piano 'study' when I was in High School (back in 1987) this was originally part of my submission to my Scottish 'Higher' Exam for Musical Composition. I revived it and rearranged it to take into account my access to a wider range of instruments.

Northern Line

Northern Line starts off quiet and then builds rhythmically to a more peaceful (although de-tuned) middle section then back to the rhythm before fading out.

Babbling Brook

Short piano piece reminiscent of... a babbling brook!

Carpathia

Carpathia is one of the ships that rescued passengers from The Titanic and was subequently sunk during the war.

Stormy January

There's not much to say about this track... it was written in January 2005 and sounds a bit stormy!

Rain On My Piano

The combination of strings and piano playing the same notes at the same time gives this piece a watery, rain feeling. Hence the name!

The Year

Back in March 2004 my then fiancee (now wife :D) and I moved in together. Both of us had difficult relationships prior to being together and this piece, begun in March 2005, is an attempt to portray the variety, happiness, and poignancy that had filled my life in that one year of incomparable happiness.

Purple Rhapsody's second album is another wonderful mix of gentle piano music and upbeat guitar based tracks. From the epic title track to the short emotive pieces the album takes the spirit of Transient Emotions and pursues it further into a world of soundscapes inspired by the infinite complexities of Fractal Images.

Tracks

Arpeggiatore

Upbeat track based on arpeggios in 5/4 time kicking off the album.

Fractal Landscapes

Fractal Landscapes, the title track, is an aural journey through infinite fractal images (like the one on the album cover). This epic track has recurring themes and many changes in pace and style.

Evening Reflection

A tune with which to relax and ruminate over the day's stressful times.

Summer Waltz

This track brings back memories of the long childhood summers of youth.

Dreich Day

A 'dreich day' is a dreary, dismal, drizzle-filled day in Scotland (well, to be accurate the day could be anywhere - but it's a Scottish phrase).

Waterfall

Falling waterful of gentle piano notes

The Orient

Lots of multi-layered bass guitar with a slight far-eastern flavour.

Swallows In Summer

Soaring swallows in a bright blue summer sky - more memories of bygone summers

Tsunami

A gentle start indicates a nice peaceful scene - but then electric guitar and piano whirl round the listener. The aftermath is gentle and poignant...

Strolling Player

Rambling guitar piece, improvised in one sitting and almost unchanged since then!

Snowflakes

Drifting piano, reminiscent of snowflakes slowly swirling on a still winter's day.

Fractal Horizons

The music builds, the music fades, somewhere over the Fractal Horizon.

In 2007 John Rawsthorne, manager of NinewellsMusic Internation, approached Terry Robinson (of Purple Rhapsody) to produce a soundtrack for a nature awareness DVD. Unfortunately the DVD was never completed however the music was too good to waste and was released under the NinewellsMusic 'band name' of Divine Nature.

Terry says: "This album was very difficult to make! My natural tendency is to go for dramatic arrangements of music but for this project subtlety was the key. Thanks to the patience of my producer, John Rawsthorne, I managed to tailor my style to fit the needs of the project. The result certainly isn't Purple Rhapsody music but there's still a gleam of Purpleness in there and the music is wonderful for relaxing to."

Tracks

Far Horizon

Plaintive oboes, calling to each other over as the sun rises over the far horizon.

Yun-Wiya

Rhythmic beginning slowly builds into a smooth relaxing track.

Tsa-yu-li

This was originally conceived with the image of drops of water falling slowly from forest leaves.

Peace Before Dawn

The feeling before dawn, of a new day slumbering... waiting to be awakened.

Voices of Dawn

Similar to Peace Before Dawn except with vocal chorus accompaniment.

Mahayana

Soothing chimes anticipate the gentle glow of sunrise

Nantahala

Gently building track - hypnotic and peaceful.

Reflection

Soft piano inspired by thoughts of tiny ripples on a smooth lake.

Cherohala Skyway

The Cherohala Skyway is a road! Not just any road but one which has been designated a National Scenic Byway in North Carolina, USA. This track is inspired by the scenery of the Cherokee and Nantahala forests through which the road winds. The percussion on this track was recorded by Omkar

Seven Worlds

Originally planned to be used for the menu of the DVD this is a simple vocally based piece of music

Sahaja Samadhi

This track was to be used for the end credits of the DVD and for consistencty uses the same chord structure as the DVD menu but with a completely different arrangement and feeling.

Emerging Light

Like a chrysalis emerging into light... or the dawn sunbeams shining through the tall winter trees.

Gentle Plains

The plains of our ancestors