DiGelsomina "Mahanaim"

 Dedicated to my adored wife and chief Inspiration, Cheryl.

Palace Guard

This is an early example of my use of the Serial Vignette style, which involves the laying out of  musical "scenes" in a quasi-cinematic way. Due to this being an earlier composition, "Palace Guard" was mostly aligned with the classic heavy metal style, however it's interesting to hear how the building/lead guitar part stops on a dime and goes into a far more lush, lovely orchestral setting. At first I worried that people would be permanently put off by the abruptness of the transition, but I left it like that because...well, we're talking about black-armored Mer-men and women plunging headlong into battle, singing their song. Some degree of recklessness should be allotted :)

I've had Lyraka friends ask me about that cockeyed, abstract solo after the symphonics, and a few heard Allan Holdsworth-isms in it (maybe for its "outside" sound). Count me as a fan of Allan, but I think it was more a shared, Bartokian headspace. Bartok's compositions were really being played a lot by me at the time (String Quartets 2 and 4 in particular), and wanted to play something quirkily expressive on the guitar. I notice now that section's backing sounds a bit like the Assault Attack/Into the Arena slow arp, pretty obvious how that happened...and how strange to have such an "off" solo over that backing.

But that one, abstract solo was the foreshadow of things to come: intensified self-expression and thinking-outside-the-box.

                                                                             

                                                                               

Entombed By Choice

Quote from composer Andy DiGelsomina, composer and lead guitarist of this song: "I dedicate the lead guitar solos to my little brother Stephen Simonelli, who passed away in 2013, RIP...I'm sorry and I love you, Stevie".

All music, lead guitar, lyrics © 2020 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina. Vocals by Robert Lowe. Co-produced by Andy DiGelsomina and Andre Maquera. Mostly recorded at West Street Digital. Rhythm Guitars: Andre Maquera; Bass: Thom Carvey; Drums: Gary Spaulding.

        

"Gnashing" with Opera Vocalists

On this version of "Gnashing" we worked with opera singers Nichole (Soprano) and Brian (Tenor). Note the polytonality of the composition, with hyper-compressed harmonic layers superimposed over the original. Here the multi-layering (in the form of manifold, clashing tones) serves to emphasize the rhythm, subtly propelling the piece into a dirge.

Symphony No. 1, Mvt. 3

This isn't the final mix, but very close, and plenty enough to get the ideas across. This movement started out as a piece for a string symphony, but midway during composition I realized I needed a very large orchestra and set of synthesizers to most faithfully represent my vision. 

Forgive the overall sound, as this hasn't been subject to a final mix and master yet, it's just there to give fans an idea of the piece.

                                 All music and lyrics © 2015 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

                                                                                 

       
                                            

Symphony no. 2 Mvt. 1

Completed May, 2018.

PER ASPERA AD ASTRA!

This is the final arrangement and orchestration of a piece I composed during Summer 2017. Lyraka fans will note that this movement is to an extent an elaboration on my "Errandia" motifs from Lyraka Volume 1.

This symphony employs the use of over 120 musicians, including not-yet traditional instruments like synths and electric guitars (much more the former). So, I doubt there's much here to interest a more casual Rock/Metal listener, but the more immersion-seeking listener will assuredly find plenty to like.

Perhaps best listened to through good headphones (I recommend Sennheiser), where you'll find it easiest to reap new rewards with each listen. 

                                                                             

                             All music and lyrics © 2017 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

Symphony no. 1, Mvt. 4

I really appreciate Dee-ter's vocal here. At first I had a hard time getting past the use of someone else's lyrics, however Wilhelm Müller's words struck a despairing chord within me and fit the music perfectly.

Apparently Schubert felt the words too, at the time of his writing the Winterreise he had been informed of his eventually lethal syphilis contraction.

At the risk of beating the point into the ground, the famous mezzo-soprano Elena Gerhardt once said of "Winterreise" that "you have to be haunted by this (piece) to be able to sing it."

You can hear the employment of my Serial Vignette method of composition, plus the mix of traditional and electronic instruments. Though the "Lindenbaum" lyrical setting intensifies the feeling of gloom and dread during Dieter's vocal part, the movement is multi-dimensional.

The lyrics are Herr Müller's, which are public domain. The vocal melodies are chopped up samples from Diskau's old performance, while all other music is © 2017 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina. All rights are reserved, any infringement upon this copyright will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

                                                                                 

                                                                             

Symphony no. 3, Mvt. 2

Now that this movement is compositionally completed, I feel a sense of triumph. Love is the hero.

I've only come up with working lyrics for the choir beginning at 1:02 of the movement; these are obviously far from final from all perspectives; they simply illustrate what I'm aiming for with this movement as far as Weltanschauung goes (any political incorrectitude is due to my using Schiller's words to Beethoven's 9th Symphony as an inspiration). I came up with lyrics for this piece after this demo, so the choir is just vocalizing for now.

"Let's all work together toward a world-loving world and
then we'll all love each other, more than friends we're all brothers.
Let's plan a future where we all join as one then we'll
all know the happiness of bless'd nature's sons."

                                                                           

All music and lyrics ©2018 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina, plagiarists will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Symphony no. 4 Mvt. 2

Adding guitar, will be back!

All music © 2019 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

Symphony no. 1, Mvt. 5

Note the extensively embroidered, hybrid composition here, as well as more of my Serial Vignette compositional technique. Though the instruments have been woven together, there is a strong modular side to this composition, evident not just from the overlapping (and at times exclamatorily interjecting) parts, but in how factors such as, say, effects are arranged, automated, and so much more. I paid lavish detail to those and other factors, in order to most faithfully represent what I heard in my head.

The presence of aleatoricism is evident not only in the transitions and rhythms, but to some extent in the sequencing. Of course, overall this is purposeful composition and orchestration, but happy accidents are the meat and potatoes of both the Serial Vignette and Aleatoric compositional styles (not to mention musical performance), and were as always welcomed both during the composition of the piece and its initial rehearsals.

Finally, it was important for me to express a multi-dimensioned listening experience. The sense of depth and distance is just as much achieved through predelay on a good reverb as well as hyper attention to volume and panning automation.

The initial set of themes came to me in a rush of inspiration, and from that point I couldn't stop writing.

                                                                           

All music ©2015 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina

Music For Woodwinds and Brass no. 3

Completed 5.29.19.

 © 2019 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina. All rights reserved, infringers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Symphony no. 3, Mvt. 3 Scherzo (Variations on a Keim-Motiv)

The main theme (a classic Keim-Motiv)  is so familiar and friendly, but what I really liked was how much I could do with from precisely that motivic perspective. Composers like Beethoven (and Bernard Herrmann, for that matter) were masters at taking small musical statements and doing all kinds of wonderful, implosive/explosive, expansive/compressed things with them; the Keim-Motiv itself providing a distinction-engendering glue to the sound of the piece overall. 

                                                                              

All music and lyrics ©2018 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina, plagiarists will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Help For Victims of Toxic Family Members

I continue to be the victim of a toxic father, and in the interest of both purging myself and trying to do anything I can to help others I feel compelled to put this up. The most tragic part of dealing with a toxic parent is the fact that such toxicity never goes away, the person in question will always fall back on his or her ways, attempting to pull you into their own, poisonous black hole of self-unforgiveness and hate. This organization is one well worth supporting, at times it's been like a life preserver for me. One of the things I learned from it is how to try and not let my heart get in the way too much; that there is truly no other choice in the matter but to ultimately leave that person out of my life, a decision that might even work toward my father's good as well.

The last is important because I DO still love that person...even if my closing him out of my life seems cruel, even if I'm just telling myself it's for his good as well as mine,..then at least I can get on with my own life, and this site helped me understand that there's nothing wrong with that. Most of all, I hope no one has to go through the rejection and abuse my little brother and I did. It's horrible to experience contempt, vicious physical and emotional abuse, and rejection from someone who helped bring you into the world, I wish it upon no one.

http://www.havoca.org/

Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen: The Levine DVD Set at the Met

I'm writing this review as a Wagnerian that wants others to discover and enjoy Der Ring Des Nibelungen for the amazing work that it is. I feel that the best way to do this is to first see the opera in its traditional interpretation (or something at least closely approximating such). A dvd can come in handy, as paying to go see the opera itself could be too much for the novice, for many reasons. I personally had to start out with sequential parts of the opera, otherwise I would have been ultimately both overwhelmed and  scared off. I was eventually able to watch longer and longer, and found my attention span expanding accordingly. My "bloody chunks" method might not work for some, but I just wanted to give the neophyte an idea of how to approach Wagner without being  turned off at the start by the size and length of the operas. With a dvd an initiate always has the option of turning off, tuning in, rewinding, etc

Der Ring Des Nibelungen is, in my humble opinion, the greatest work of art in Western history. There is no other work that integrates so many different artistic mediums, characters, and situations into such a comparatively cohesive whole. Let me digress a bit by giving going into what constitutes great Art.

My definition of great Art is that it not only inspires, but can actually make a person learn something about him or herself, and/or the world around. In the case of the Ring, the main thrust is provided by the music, but the allegorical nature of the plot, characters, and situations point toward deep, self-revelatory archetypes. In fact, it could be asserted that the truly great artists all touch upon inherited psychological characteristics in what Carl Jung referred to as the Collective Unconcious, archetypes that help connect the psyches of every man and woman, regardless of political orientation. In Wagner's case, it becomes obvious upon study that he meant his late operas to be interpreted with such a mindset.

Like any Art, fully appreciating the Ring takes a conscious, willed effort. One has to actually learn the musical language that Wagner created. But I must emphasize that one's efforts will be rewarded. Just like reading Dickinson, admiring Raphael, listening to late-era Beethoven...Art pays off over and over again as one lives with it, grows with it.

 So let's start the actual review:

There are two dvd sets that are generally considered the most valuable among Ring performances: this one and the one conducted by Pierre Boulez. I personally started with this one, and I'm glad that I did. It might just be personal preference, but I think that if I had started my Wagner experience with a non-traditional staging of the Ring, like Boulez's I would have been very put off. Seeing this traditional performance first helped me alot with getting my mind right with the work itself.

This Metropolitan Opera performance of the Ring has its share of problems. The middle section of Das Rheingold, as well as the majority of Act I of Gotterdammerung, are seemingly conducted through molasses. James Levine, obviously a very notable conductor overall, seemed to fall asleep during these sections, which is extremely unfortunate considering the fact that they are two sections most in need of conscientious conducting. The outstanding performances of singers James Morris and Crista Ludwig can only shine so much when led by a sleepwalker.

Overall, Levine seems to get swept up and inspired by the rushing, "heavy metal" parts of the Ring, but he seems just plain disinterested during the parts that require more care, subtlety. The exceptions to this general rule are both the excellent awakening-of-Brunnhilde scene in Act III of Siegfried, as well as the better-than-average Siegmund and Sieglinde scene of Die Walkure.

James Morris' perfomance as Wotan steals the show here, he is by far the most impressive Wotan in recent history. His voice has certain idiosyncracies that refine the role and make it his own, not to mention his tall, imposing physical presence. As a basis of audio/video comparison, Donald McIntyre (from the Boulez Ring) stands up well in overall quality to Morris from both a singing and acting standpoint, but the former just can't compete with Morris' less anonymous vocal delivery, not to mention his physical presence. Morris makes the Wotan role HIS in a commanding way.

Siegfried Jerusalem makes a very good Siegfried here, though his acting sometimes puts a "duh" veneer to the character that wasn't Wagner's intent. That is, at times Jerusalem's portrayal tends to veer from the "brash, arrogantly ignorant" portrayal of Siegried meant by Wagner, to an outright, unlikably stupid dolt. This applies only to certain points in his performance, as the Heldentenor mostly does a good job, especially from a singing perspective.

Hildegard Behrens' Brunnhilde is quite good as well, she only falters when she tries too hard. To be more specific, at times she seems to be straining, and not just during the super high notes.

On the other hand, both Behrens and Matti Salminen (as an outSTANDING Hagen) make for an powerful Gotterdammerung Act II. In fact, this act is worth the price of the dvd set by itself. One has to see it to believe it. This might just be the best performance of this act in filmed history, full of all the Germanic gang roars, hell-hath-no-fury scorn, subtle humor, and charismatic drollery that is integral to the piece. Everything seems to click into place with this, the last part of the opera, and it's done so well it redeems the cycle as a whole.

Bottom line, this is the best you can do for traditional staging of the Ring on dvd. I'm personally really grateful I myself started out with it. Don't hesitate to pick this up if you're new to the Ring, or Wagner, and it must be brought up that the traditional staging is going to be by far the most user friendly for the Heavy Metal fan, the costumes, staging, an emphasis on the heroic that most certainly is shared by the musical performances...you want this metal heads!

As an important sidebar, I must reccomend also to the neophyte the Georg Solti-conducted cd set for the best overall studio performace of the Ring. And you'll eventually want the Boulez/Bayreuth Ring dvd set as well, not just because many of the faults existent on the Levine aren't on the Boulez, but because the Boulez is an often superb performance dvd on its own.

Finally, I heartily reccomend a good libretto/concordance (there's one co-edited by Barry Millington that works really well), and it can't hurt to check out some of the different perspectives on the allegory inherent within the opera. Robert Donington's Jungian take, "Wagner's Ring and Its Symbols", is interesting and often helpful, and philosopher Bryan Magee has contributed some marvellously lucid, jargon-free exegesis of the Wagner repetoire.  I myself have begun a site analyzing The Ring, though unfinished you might find some helpful insights there:http://lyraka.com/ourfatherofmetal/hisgreatestoperas.htm This multi-experience approach is important for fully understanding and absorbing Der Ring Des Nibelungen.

Consigned

Excerpted from Mvt 3 of Symphony no. 4

This is not a piece intentionally meant for Pop/Rock/Metal fans, so please feel free to rock on elsewhere as you wish. What this is is a piece that features multitudinous, compressed melodies and a mosaically stitched harmonic map (said harmonies get so dense at times to be unsettlingly discordant, underscoring the suffocating nature of suffering). This piece, excerpted from the third movement of my second Symphony, was written during a time of suffering, however, I took a page from Groß Meister Beethoven's "Hymn of Gratitude" by incorporating a more positive and familiar (though still introspective) part at the end. Said part was inspired by old cowboy westerns like Alfred Newman's "How the West Was Won" and Tiomkin's brilliant "Alamo". Both cowboys and -girls are usually seen as good spirited, carefree..but there's an ominous side to the part as well as evidenced by the outlaw side of the coin. Or one could say, not out of the prairie yet (or steppes, for that matter).

The sound design applied to this movement made it into a hallucinatory swirl. A lot of this was do to my being creative panning the instruments, and the reverbs applied enhanced the dreamy quality.

All music © 2019 Andrew Neires DiGelsomina All rights reserved, piracy and plagiarism will be prosecuted.