A higher resolution recording will be made available for download.

Program Note

The piece I created in celebration of the winter solstice was composed and performed on the Chromelodeon. Basically a pump organ retrofitted with new tunings reflecting Harry Partch’s microtonal scale of 43 tones to the octave, the Chromelodeon is an instrument I’ve become enamored with during the time I’ve been writing my opera, LSD: Huxley’s Last Trip. The opera is scored for a chamber ensemble plus several of the Partch instruments, all of which are built according to his instructions and tuning system. There are only three Partch Instrumentariums in the world, one of which resides in Los Angeles. The title of my composition, This is Not a Carol, (an oblique reference to “This is Not a Pipe,” the famous painting by René Magritte), seems to be appropriate for the seasonal festivities surrounding the winter solstice.