Artwork: Diana Patient
Be Like Water
10 - 02 - 2023
A solo piano album inspired by water, meditating on its role in transferring energy around the world, its multi-faceted beauty, and its increasing volatility.
Each piece is a snapshot of the element at a point in the cycle, trying to capture its character at a given moment, be it streaming, lapping, evaporating or falling. It is intended as music to encourage a feeling of wonder at the natural world, and of our small and precarious place within it.
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44'
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Track Listing:
9. Streams within Streams
1. Springs
8. Towards Earth
2. Nexus
7. Dust in Clouds
3. Falls
6. Sublimation
4. Shallows
5. White Horses
I began writing Be Like Water in Spring of 2020, in a time of great change and uncertainty. When Covid hit I was working away from home but felt lucky to be locked down in the countryside near Stratford-upon-Avon in a cottage near the river.
Each day I walked by the water before playing for hours and I think it began to dominate my focus. I was in awe and almost jealous of it as it ceaselessly flowed, oblivious to human concern. I realised I was writing to escape myself, and this affected my compositional philosophy; I wanted to start with a seed of an idea and let it flow organically - almost without my influence - so I played and played and let the pieces develop through long sessions of improvisation.
Be Like Water as a title came later on, and seemed to bind the subject, my situation, and the practice of creating this music neatly together. It's a philosophy about being flexible in both mind and body and not being rigid and stubborn in your beliefs or understanding. Instead, it's about being open-minded and able to change and adapt to your circumstances, which felt especially pertinent given the times we were in.