Four Pieces

The Four Pieces are: Fantasia -- an interpretation of the Ralph Vaughan Williams classic, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. Originally scored for strings, this Fantasia is a dense amalgam of guitars, synths, bass, and drums that nevertheless remains true to the original score, a majestic homage to this masterpiece of 20th century classical music. Largo -- drawn from Antonin Dvorak's New World Symphony. Cailyn has recast the second movement as a bluesy guitar-driven progressive rock piece that features masterful improvisations over the marvelous bass lines Dvorak wrote over 100 years ago. Adagio -- an intense interpretation of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. Also scored for strings (originally string quartet), the music is a dense tapestry of synths, guitars, drums, and bass that opens softly and rises inexorably to the towering crescendo -- music that maintains the emotional intensity of the original. Nocturne -- an original composition, also a fusion of progressive and classical forms. The two opening guitars are intended to evoke the right and left hands of a piano piece, the music itself inspired in part by La Mer by Claude Debussy as well as the piano music of Chopin and Schubert. The project was recorded at Land of Oz Studios in Fond du Lac, WI. The final mix and mastering were performed at two great Chicago recording houses: Rax Trax Recording and Gravity Mastering.