Concerto of Deliverance

Concerto of Deliverance
by John Mills-Cockell
Music inspired by a theme from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

Looking for new inspiration? Released in 2004, this 79-minute, 15-track CD is a premium recording of an original, integrated work by John Mills-Cockell, consisting of 7 rousing movements for instruments and voices -- delivering "a musical adventure of discovery, remembrance, and arrival".

The music is inspired by the themes expressed in the following words from romantic writer Ayn Rand, referring to "the Concerto of Deliverance" (in her giant novel Atlas Shrugged).

"It was a symphony of triumph. The notes flowed up, they spoke of rising and they were the rising itself, they were the essence and the form of upward motion, they seemed to embody every human act and thought that had ascent as its motive. It was a sunburst of sound, breaking out of hiding and spreading open. It had the freedom of release and the tension of purpose. It swept space clean, and left nothing but the joy of an unobstructed effort. Only a faint echo within the sounds spoke of that from which the music had escaped, but spoke in laughing astonishment at the discovery that there was no ugliness or pain, and there never had had to be. It was the song of an immense deliverance."

The performers include the composer himself on electroacoustic instruments, with violinist Sharon Stanis of the Lafayette Quartet, clarinetist and U of Victoria professor Patricia Kostek, mezzo soprano Leora Cashe, and the Island Academy Singers directed by Thea Stavroff.

Reviewers' comments include these:

"I love the richness and variety of the composition...references many different musical traditions...a lovely, layered work...playful...deeply moving, uplifting...richly evocative and flowing outward."

"Charming and innovative...an integrated work...inspiring melodies...extremely linear...the rhythm and key changes constantly...chords are arpeggiated throughout...I'm pleasantly surprised by this piece's ability to seduce me...it speaks to the universality of the music that Mills-Cockell is able to capture the attention of someone so happily entrenched in the early music tradition..."

"Every line and timbre breathes with organic character and individuality...His sense of tasteful rhythm is unerring...He often sinks quiet melodies deeply into a multi-layered background texture, giving the music a richness and depth that reward repeated listening...a fun, multi-hued treat to hear a master in his chosen medium -- and John Mills-Cockell is certainly such a master."

It's unlike any music you've heard before - yet it's like all the beautiful music you've ever heard: arising and arousing, triumphant and "deliverant".

(John Mills-Cockell's previous albums include Syrinx, Long Lost Relatives, Heartbeat, A Third Testament, Gateway, and Do You Hear the Rushing River.)

Check out more info and generous music samples at https://starshipaurora.com/concertoofdeliverance.html.