A five-part nautical adventure into the unknown
This collaborative project between pianist/composer Ben Gailer and producer/composer Ewan Collins was submitted as part of my BMus (Hons) portfolio in 2020. It was recorded at home in June/July 2020 during New Zealand's Level 4 lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It features five original compositions for solo piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards and electronic music production.
You can listen to Journey to Atlantis and view copies of the scores here
Featuring:
Piano, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards & Compositions: Ben Gailer
Production & Compositions: Ewan Collins
Guitar (Mermaid Pools): Jake Nicholas
Vocal Group (Mermaid Pools): Rachel Clarke, Gretel Donnelly, Caoimhe Lane,
Helen Pahulu, Jessica Rogers, Eda Tang
Programme Notes:
Part I: Open Waters / The Storm
A ship sets sail on the open seas in search of the promised land. But when a raging storm hits, the ship and its crew are magically transported to a bizarre and twisted land.
Part II: We’ll Let The Stars Guide Us
Realizing that their navigation equipment is useless in these foreign waters, the ship’s valiant crew turn to the long-forgotten ancestral practice of astral navigation to guide them onward.
Part III: Mermaid Pools
Mysterious creatures swirl in the crystal blue waters below, their enchanting song enticing travelers to the sinister depths below.
Part IV: The Descent
The travelers plunge into the icy water. Consumed by darkness, the crew are guided only by the distant song of the merfolk and the dancing bio-luminescent lights of alien creatures.
Part V: City of Coral
The travellers arrive at a sight to behold - the ancestral home of the merfolk! Entranced by the natural beauty of this alien, yet peaceful sanctuary, the travellers weave their way through towering spires of rock and coral.