Paula Dreyer – Central Star
Sunday, July 26, 2020 at 4 pm
Download a copy of the program here.
Paula Dreyer, piano
PROGRAM
~Water~
Rainbow Ridge
Lost at Sea
Sunset on Lake Michigan
*Le Bateau sur l’eau from Little Gems for Piano
Deep, Dark Waves
~Fire~
Under a Flamenco Sky
Duende Flamenco
Tango Azul
Fuego Interno
*Nocturno de la Ventana- Chus Alonso (inspired by the poem by Federico Garcia Lorca)
Revolt and Reveal
~Wind~
Azul
Forrest in the Forest
In a Trance
~Earth~
Moving On
Finding Home
Sound of Stars
Starlight
* Pieces that are not on the Central Star album
All pieces composed by Paula Dreyer, except Nocturno de la Ventana
To pre-order album, please see www.pauladreyer.com. www.littlegemsforpiano.com
Nocturnos de la ventana by Federico Garcia Lorca
1
Alta va la luna.
Bajo corre el viento.
(Mis largas miradas,
exploran el cielo.)
Luna sobre el agua,
Luna bajo el viento.
(Mis cortas miradas,
exploran el suelo.)
Las voces de dos niñas
venían. Sin el esfuerzo,
de la luna del agua,
me fuí a la del cielo.
2
Un brazo de la noche
entra por mi ventana.
Un gran brazo moreno
con pulseras de agua.
Sobre un cristal azul
jugaba al río mi alma.
Los instantes heridos
por el reloj… pasaban.
3
Asomo la cabeza
por mi ventana, y veo
cómo quiere cortarla
la cuchilla del viento.
En esta guillotina
invisible, yo he puesto
las cabezas sin ojos
de todos mis deseos.
Y un olor de limón
llenó el instante inmenso,
mientras se convertía
en flor de gasa el viento.
4
Al estanque se le ha muerto
hoy una niña de agua.
Está fuera del estanque,
sobre el suelo amortajada.
De la cabeza a sus muslos
un pez la cruza, llamándola.
El viento le dice “niña”
mas no puede despertarla.
El estanque tiene suelta
su cabellera de algas
y al aire sus grises tetas
estremecidas de ranas.
Dios te salve. Rezaremos
a Nuestra Señora de Agua
por la niña del estanque
muerta bajo las manzanas.
Yo luego pondré a su lado
dos pequeñas calabazas
para que se tenga a flote,
¡ay! sobre la mar salada.
Nights of the Window
1
Moon rises high
Beneath the wind
(My eyes look for a long time
Exploring the sky)
The moon sits on the water,
The moon is in the wind.
(My eyes look for a long time
Exploring the sky)
I hear the voices of girls.
The moon in the water,
Effortlessly I go to it
In the sky.
2
The arms of the night
Enter through my window,
Great brown arms
With bracelets of water.
On blue crystal,
I played in the river at dawn
I watched the wounded moments
Pass away.
3
I place my head
by the window
And the wind cuts it
with a blade
In the invisible guillotine
I place my head
and all my desires
It fills the moment
With the smell of lemon
While I become
Blossoms of silk in the wind.
4
There is a death in the pond,
A girl in the water.
When she is pulled out,
She is covered in soil.
A fish crosses her body
From head to her legs.
The wind calls out to her
But cannot wake her.
The pond releases her.
She is now algae
And grey breasts of air,
Quivering like frogs.
God save you. We will pray
To Our Lady of Water
For the girl in the pond
Under the apples, dead.
Later I’ll place
Two small pumpkins
Beside her so she may float
Ay! On the salt sea
About the artist
Paula Dreyer is a classically-trained contemporary composer and pianist living in the Pacific Northwest who seeks to inspire, include, and connect individuals through music. She has created her own unique sound, weaving a wide range of influences from the Romantic and Impressionistic eras, film composers, Spanish music and solo improvisation albums from the masters. Listeners are transported through her music that is sophisticated yet intimate, melancholic yet hopeful, hauntingly melodic, and rhythmically alive.
By combining multi-disciplinary art forms and collaborating with various artistic mediums, Paula’s shows are a transporting, mesmerizing experience for the eyes, ears, and heart. Frequent collaborator and award winning choreographer Kevin Jenkins says this: “Paula infuses her music with perfectly phrased emotion that makes my mind explode with movement concepts. The only challenge is keeping up with her brilliance.” Kevin is currently choreographing her music for ballet companies in Chicago and Miami for performances in 2020. San Francisco based artist Adrian Arias has created paintings inspired directly by her music, many of which will be featured in her concerts.
An avid performer, Paula has played at world class venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Green Music Center, and with the Santa Rosa and Monterey Symphonies. Paula was a band member for the legendary show Beach Blanket Babylon, which The New York Times calls “a treasured San Francisco staple.” She was the winner of the Montréal Classical Music Festival and was a chamber music semi-finalist in the Concert Artist Guild Competition at New York’s Merkin Hall. She was the recipient of the full scholarship Poné Award during her masters degree in Chamber Music Performance in San Francisco. She also holds music degrees from McGill University in Montréal and Interlochen Arts Academy, and studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She completed an artist residency at Obras in Portugal, where she composed much of the music for her Little Gems for Piano books. The books have sold thousands of copies world-wide. Paula is also a well respected educator and directs a private teaching studio in addition to presenting nationwide to piano teachers and adjudicating various festivals.
In her debut original solo album Central Star, Paula uses music as a soul awakening, energy shifting experience. During these tumultuous times when we can feel disconnected and distracted, she seeks to alter the vibration of the room- providing fuel for the soul through the unifying force of music. Central Star tells a personal story about the powers of imagination, intuition, and creative expression during challenging times of transition, as well as offering a therapeutic medium during everyday life. This spellbinding album speaks to the triumphant yet calming creative spirit and evokes feelings from the universal human experience. Prepare to elevate your spirit and embark on a sonic and visual journey like no other.