Calming Music

"Hi Richard. Just writing to say how much I really love your cd 'The Quietening'. All of your cd's are great but there is something extra special about the Quietening. It is so soothing and comforting. It touches me deeply and occasionally brings a tear to my eye. Your songs really make my spirit smile... I really appreciate your sharing of your gift of creating beautiful music."
- Matt Brown, Port Hedland W.A.

Composer's Notes

Winter of 2008 turned out to be an intensely creative time for me. It was perhaps a disguised blessing that Australia’s East Coast experienced its coldest winter season in 60 years - indeed the perfect opportunity to stay indoors and focus on creating new music!

Music for The Quietening was composed during several “writing retreats” in some of the places that I find most beautiful, calm and inspiring close to where I live on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. I visited the ancient rainforests of The Bunya Mountains, The imposing Glasshouse Mountains and Blackall Range, and stayed in a rustic mud brick cottage with no electricity (but lots of candles and a great fireplace) on a hill in the the Noosa Hinterland.

When recording The Quietening, it was a pleasure to re-unite with the talented folk at Grevillea Studios, Brisbane and their amazingly beautiful 12ft Bosendorfer Grand Piano. As was the case with my previous CD releases, they have again produced a recording of first class quality. I also re-recorded several tracks the day after the original session, not because they were incorrect, but just to ensure that the tempo of each piece, while not exactly the same, gently flowed from one to the next.

I truly believe this to be the most inspired, focused and joyous I have ever felt while creating music. It is now my hope that you, the listener will be able to feel for yourself some of the absolute love, calm, gratitude and connectedness I experienced while making this album.