For the Beauty of the Earth

This gorgeous artwork is by Stephen Crotts

My second solo album is called For the Beauty of the Earth and was released on Earth Day in 2021

Recording and releasing an album in the middle of a worldwide pandemic is not an easy task. That’s why the album features mainly works recorded by two people: me and pianist/composer/genius David M Rodgers. It’s also why the emotional center of the album is gratitude. More on that below.

Tresin Terra: Mvt 1 - For the Beauty of the Earth
David M Rodgers

The Music

There are 5 main works and 5 versions of the famous hymn tune, For the Beauty of the Earth, which ties the project together under a common theme of gratitude.

Each piece on the album is meant to express gratitude for a different part of the human experience. Some ideas are directly from the lyrics of the hymn, and others are inspired by the content of the works themselves.

There’s a whole YouTube playlist with music videos from the album

David Rodgers was my primary collaborator on the project.

In addition to performing the piano parts, he also composed Tresin Terra and the three hymn settings that link together the main works.


Production Info

Recorded by Kevin Edlin and Produced by Nick Laufer.

Just like on my debut album, Perspectives, I was so fortunate to have Nick Laufer and Kevin Edlin in the booth for this project. They always do incredible work, and I am so thankful for their dedication and artistic integrity.

Edited, Mixed, and Mastered by Jeremy Wilson and David Rodgers.

UNLIKE my debut album, I wanted to try to do the post-production work myself. It was a humbling and exhilarating experience, but I did it, with TONS of help from David. He helped me out immensely with quite a bit of editing and mastering, and he had so much helpful advice and was so generous with his time, talents, and plug-ins.

Recorded at Vanderbilt University in December 2020.

I was so fortunate to be granted permission to record the album at Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music, even with a massive COVID surge going on. We kept the crew small, distanced, and safe through the whole process, which was completed over 3 days from December 16-18.


Photos!

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The Deeper Story: Gratitude

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The Aries Quartet Album