CD 88 – Beautifully Relentless, Op. 322 (Ying/Yang Melody Cycle) for three horns, piano and drums

The I Ching can be organized in a circle. It is a gradual pattern like the changes in weather through a year. There are beautiful patterns including fascinating opposites.

He has organized this set into a pattern which has been explored in a number of ways. Each exploration is a different “I Ching Cycle.” Each cycle has a number of similar features: the rhythm pattern of the hexagrams the rising tonalities from F-0 @ 432 around and up an octave in 64 microtonal steps. The speed or tempo that relates to the vibration of the tonality (rising or speeding up) and more.

Richard writes: “This recordings provide the listener with a progression through the 64 equally spaced tones within an octave of sound in 64 sections. Many of these micro-tone tonalities are ones that we are not exposed to very often, so I think of this music as sort of a vitamin pill of colors that are not in our normal auditory diet.”

Find CD 88 – Beautifully Relentless, Op. 322 (Ying/Yang Melody Cycle) HERE.

CD 100 – Bear Valley Fanfares, Bear Wald Septet & Chamber Symphonies No. 14, 15, and 16

Richard O. Burdick has another new CD release of his compositions. This one features his 16 Fanfares for Brass instruments written for the Bear Valley Music Festival from 1992-94. These fanfares were played near the end of the intermission to call the audience back to the performance tent at the Festival. The writing of the fanfares ended when he wrote one using a 12-tone-row. The timpani player went around broadcasting how funny he thought the idea of a 12-tone-row fanfare was, and that somehow ended the fanfares.

Also on the CD are his important and beautiful Chamber Symphonies No.’s 14, 15, & 16. The Chamber Symphonies scored for strings and single wind and sometimes piano are percussion are part of Richard’s “Covid Era” works, where his goal in composing was to write beautiful music to counteract the feelings of the pandemic.

As with most of Mr. Burdick’s works the theories behind the compositions are based on his “I Ching cosmology.”

Find CD 100 – Bear Valley Fanfares, Bear Wald Septet & Chamber Symphonies No. 14, 15, and 16 HERE.

Casting Out Demons – Chamber Music of Richard O. Burdick

For a number of years, Richard has been putting recordings of his compositions in a folder mark “CD 86”. As he completed recordings he released them, but everything in this folder was just too discombobulated or diverse.

When Richard completed the recording of a work from 2002 for two horns and bells (carillon and/or tubular bells), he renamed it “Casting Out Demons”. It’s common belief that evil-spirits hate bells and harps – then everything rang into harmony.

Starting with a horn solo, which sort of symbolizes normal life that includes some evil. Then alternating a bells work with a few of his nice chamber music pieces. Going to his 2nd horn concerto, which is full of harp and bells sounds, this is a moderately unified and very interesting grouping of works with lots of bells!

Find Casting Out Demons – Chamber Music of Richard O. Burdick HERE.