FIRELIGHT MOON
Richard's most intimate CD, Firelight Moon is a tender, subtle, and starkly beautiful collection of pieces for solo piano, all with an adagio tempo.Taking inspiration from the ‘Nocturnes” (night music) of piano composer Chopin, Firelight Moon is the perfect soothing music for sleep to play while drifting off. It can also make a great accompaniment to a quiet evening, a candle, and a glass of red wine...
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A Warm Glow The Lady of the Lake |
Twilight Waltz Skychild |
"Hi Richard, after hearing your music playing in the Curramore Cabins where I stayed recently, I have purchased your beautiful music to play in our school library. I am librarian of Caloundra City School, Pelican Waters and love to play relaxing, calming music to provide a welcoming relaxed atmosphere for the children. Your music will be a lovely addition to my Tony O'Connor collection. Thank you for touching so many lives with your music.
- Desley Grant, Caloundra Qld"
Composer's Notes
As a teenager studying classical piano I fell in love with the music of piano composer Chopin, and in particular the gentle sound of his Nocturnes (literally meaning “night music”). I was given the Nocturne in A to learn as an examination piece and it quickly became a favorite. I purchased the entire album of his Nocturnes for piano and would often drift off to sleep at night with this soothing music playing softly in the background. I particularly loved the consistently tranquil mood it created, unlike most classical music which constantly changed tempo.Years later, I realized how little music there was that set and maintained a gentle mood and the idea to create my own album in this vein grew into Firelight Moon. I now understand that music of a particular BPM (beats per minute) is able to alter the rhythm of our brain waves and move it first into an alpha and then even deeper theta state, conducive to deep relaxation or sleep. Many people with sleeping disorders find that when they go to bed, although their body may be desperately tired, their brain is still operating at ‘beta’ level, as it does in normal waking hours. The beauty of listening to sleep music is that it can change this state within minutes and help sleep to come much more easily. I also believe that the simplicity of just having one sound (the piano) also helps to soothe and unclutter the mind.
People also often ask me about the name, “Firelight Moon”. I wanted to create music that felt warm and gentle (like firelight) but also embodied the night and a little bit of mystery (like the moon). So there we have Firelight Moon – my album of “Nocturnes”.