The Union - 02 - The Discarded Instrument (Music of the Spheres for Piano)

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Published on August 31, 2024 4:00:09 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dOxD5HE1vY

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Full YouTube playlist:    • The Discarded Instrument (Music of th...  

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Program Notes:

"The Discarded Instrument" is a full set of piano adaptations of the symphonic & choral suite "Music of the Spheres," composed in 2011-12 by Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, and Sir Paul McCartney.

The original suite was written to embody the seven "wandering stars" as laid out by ancient astrologers such as Pythagoras and Ptolemy. It weaves a number of relevant concepts into its musical storytelling, from the fallen king Jupiter, to slow & beautiful Luna, to the eerie sounds of the major misfortune, Saturn. The first seven tracks represent these Seven Heavens, with the eighth track representing Earth and The Traveler, the mysterious sphere hanging low above Earth's last city from the video game the album preludes. The suite was largely inspired by C.S. Lewis's book "The Discarded Image," and the music even had a written accompaniment by poet and C.S. Lewis scholar Malcolm Guite.

Now, you're able to hear the full suite on piano, carefully adapted by using the orchestral scores from the original Abbey Road recording sessions. This new take was recorded using Synthogy's "Ivory Grand Pianos" library, the very same that composer Martin O'Donnell used when drafting the original suite. This provides an authentic window into how they may have sounded in their infancy, before becoming fully orchestrated. At least one of the eight pieces was fully written as a piano solo before work began on an orchestral version. These recordings represent this early stage of creativity & thought; an intimate & open sound that peaks into the essential components of the composition. I'm proud to present a window into this Discarded Instrument.

-Owen Spence

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THE DISCARDED INSTRUMENT

"Music of the Spheres" composed by Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, and Paul McCartney.
Original orchestrations by Mark McKenzie.
Adapted for piano by Owen Spence.
Production assistance by Xavier Scheetz.
Artwork by Owen Spence and Matt Farrell.
"Music of the Spheres" © 2012 Bungie, Inc. and MPL Communications LTD.

"The Discarded Instrument" © 2024 Oakhost Creative Collective