R e c o r d i n g s

As we wend our way through life’s turbulent waters we often long to transcend its mundane burdens. Life is so full of both pain and joy (and a lot in between)! Of course we like joy, and seek it assiduously! Everyone has their way of doing this, but at the risk of generalizing, artists usually find their joy or purpose in connecting to a palpable sense of something larger than the ego-centered personality. And in letting go of self-concern (in which no peace can be found), in expressing our heart’s deepest longings through art, we realize a sense of abundance, bliss, even ecstasy in just being alive, the joie de vivre which is our true nature and birthright.

 

The collection “Brimfull”, comprised of songs written over 35-plus years, celebrates life, amazing and sweet under most circumstances, but sometimes made even more so via our struggle to find meaning, purpose, and connection with others or the Divine. Loves gained and lost, prosperity found yet shifting, hopes not realized: all of these produce suffering. The songs in “Brimfull” were conceived through such suffering or longing, usually at a moment of catharsis in which the manifestation of a magical grace would lift me out of grief or fear to bask in the sunshine of divine abundance. And when my heart opens I feel a piquant longing, a great desire - I treasure life more intensely as I feel the poignancy that it must come to an end.

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These art songs are best realized in an intimate recital setting. Some are technically demanding while others are quite accessible for novice singers. Any vocal and/or pianistic artist will find riches worth sharing in these deep and thoughtful pieces. Not only are they vocally expressive, but the piano parts are sophisticated, and speak with their own voice just as the vocal line does, with lots of text-painting. I hope that these works might be appreciated and shared widely in order to make the life-journey of our fellow sentient beings, as well as our own, just a little more joyful.                – William Gorton