[OC] Album of Dreams - Suite I (2022-23)

This is a full set of "Album of Dreams - Suite I," the suite of 9 pieces for piano in a cyclic form on the single theme that links the entire set together. I have already uploaded each one on different videos. Here is the whole suite in one video for those who like to listen to every piece in order and hear everything in more detail.

First of all, the main idea of this suite comes from the fragments of my dreams that I wake up in the middle of the night to write down the scraps of those melodies or sounds in my dream. I have tons of them over the past years, so I decided to look into them and pick up some to mash together into a suite. And here is the result; a set of 9 quirky and strange pieces for piano.

Second, as I was working with each piece, I mostly took the idea of irregular rhythmic change, pianistic style, and repetition from Takashi Yoshimatsu's piano works; notably, Pleiades Dances. It is because it works perfectly for these dream pieces; otherworldly, weird, and whimsical by its every aspect of melody and contour. However, I still have some twists and ideas after those techniques and go with my own color and timbre to represent my dream stories and soundscapes.

Thank you so much. Hope you enjoy my music, and feel free to leave a comment around here. See you next time.

Description of each piece and timestamp.

This is a new set of my serious compositions, containing 9 pieces. I started this little project during my COVID-19 quarantine back in 2022. I have just finished the entire set in July 2023. So, here it is.

0:05 No.1 "Dreamy Prelude"
- As its name, this piece just establishes the main motif of the entire set. I like to share the same idea in each set to connect every piece as a whole. So, there is nothing much happened in this one. -

4:02 No.2 "Strange Bells"
- In my dream, the little bells are ringing in an unstable rhythm and piercing into my ears in the most annoying way. Alongside the bell sounds, the song just springs up out of nowhere. The echoes of the large bells from the distance come and go, slowly fading away to the horizon. -

7:11 No.3 "Unaccompanied Drumming"
- The drummer and the dancers are performing together. Sometimes, they are out of sync; sometimes, they are getting along. The strumming sounds of the strange string instrument seem out of place. They all are unaccompanied; going against each other in one bizarre scene. -

10:39 No.4 "Eccentric Village Band"
- A band of quirky musicians is playing a piece of whimsical music with their lute, flute, and drums. A narrator tells a weirdly funny story alongside their music. Though nobody understands what is the point of their tale, they are entertained by their eccentric nature. -

13:35 No.5 "Chorale of the Lost Dream"
- The void expands throughout the dark landscape. It leaves me afloat in its emptiness without any sense of gravity or belonging. I don't even know if I'm lying horizontally or vertically. There is nothing; except, the song of intelligible words from the strang choir in a far distance. -

18:15 No.6 "Whispering Wind"
- The wind is blowing through the horizon. They seem to carry the words from afar. I don't understand what they mean, but they make me feel happy for unknown reasons. Before the wind is gone, I can feel its last caress. It is kind of sad and nostalgic. I hope the wind will come back again. -
This piece is more like an etude as its entirety (except, its Coda) is an octave, being played in rapid succession. I like this piece the most in this set.

21:07 No.7 "Fairy Ring"
- A circle of mushrooms appears out in the opening of the deep forest. Wisps of light, the little fairies with colorful wings of kaleidoscopic shades, are swirling in and out of the circle. It may be their game, their dance, or a ceremony; I don't know. Suddenly, they scatter away. They may have noticed me, watching over them all the time. -
This piece is in a loosely untraditional Allegro-Sonata form. And its rhythm is very stable, compared to the previous pieces.

25:38 No.8 "Walking on the Clouds"
- I wake up in the middle of the clouds, shimmering with a soft golden light. Like candy cotton, they feel soft beneath my feet. They bounce as I step on, sending me higher up in the air. Suddenly, as if falling, I sink into a hole full of soft cushions. Then, they spring, sending me off. I wake up to the alarm clock on my nightstand. -

29:00 No.9 "Catching the Light"
- In the darkness, I don't know where I am. I can't see anything. But then, a little orb of light catches my eyes. It glows with a strange pulse. I reach out to grab it, but it flies away. I chase after it, swirling around the place; always, out of my reach. I follow it until I come out to the bright outside; a clear blue sky above the plain. -