The Four Seasons of Western Washington - Music by David Micheal and Randy Mead recorded in Dolby 5.1 Filmed in HD Closeup and intimate Aerial images of nature with original score.

Four Seasons
of
Western Washington
With the Music of DAVID MICHAEL & RANDY MEAD

Four Seasons of Western Washington ... An hour-long impressionistic sight and sound excursion, exploring both the grandeur and subtle beauty of Western Washington. Shot in High Definition Video, the magnificence of towering peaks and rugged shorelines is balanced by the delicate and intimate scenes of wildlife, lush forests, rivers and meadows. The creation of the custom soundtrack is captured on camera as well, with occasional shots of the performance blended in with the scenery and natural sounds, demonstrating the deep connection between music and nature.

I remember well the first real conversation I had with videographer Brian Noblet. He was listening to one of my impromptu Celtic harp concerts aboard a Washington State ferry and afterwards asked me where I got the inspiration for the compositions. I quickly replied that much of it came from the natural beauty of the region. I've spent much of my life wandering through the mountains and along the shorelines of Western Washington and many of my pieces have been born after these jaunts. Brian became instantly animated and told me that his creative work as a videographer centered around capturing the images of Western Washington and that my music made for the perfect accompaniment and was I up for a collaboration? "Absolutely! When do we start," I asked him?

Randy Mead, my primary music partner for about 35 years, with a recording studio in a cedar forest, is also a seeker of beauty. He and I have supplied custom music for dancers and videographers for decades. Working well with visual cues, we love the challenge. When I told Randy that we had an opportunity to create a soundtrack for a film that not only artistically displayed regional, natural wonders, but would include shots of our performance as well, he instantly agreed.

There's a whole lot of music here which will be new to our fans. In addition to composing and recording original music, images of our hands playing harps, pianos, winds, hammer dulcimer, viola da gamba etc. are actually blended in with the scenery. Guitarist Joe Breskin played on several numbers. Getting to mix the soundtrack in 6 channel, Dolby surround sound was really fun!

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David Michael is a Celtic harpist, specializing in original, romantic world-fusion music and improvisation. He usually is found performing solo or as a duo with flutist Randy Mead (heard on this DVD), as well as collaborating in various ensembles. A multi-instrumentalist, David is also proficient on guitars, viola-da-gamba, zithers, psalteries, bouzouki and more.

His career as a recording artist spans over 30 years. He was a founding member, with Randy Mead, of the Seattle based world music ensemble WIND in 1975 which received arts grants, performed widely in the Pacific Northwest and was featured on numerous radio and television programs. While actively composing, he began experimenting with free-form improvisations, collaborating with dancers and artists in myriad interdisciplinary activities, in a wide range of styles. David spent most of the '80s in the San Francisco bay area, collaborating with numerous ethnic music masters and his production work came into focus there. .

Now with 16 CDs of his original music published on his own Purnima label (as well as countless guest appearances), his recordings have enjoyed heavy airplay on syndicated radio broadcasts internationally (such as ECHOES ...P.R.I. network) and have been used extensively as soundtracks for nature videos and even network TV.

He and Randy Mead also provide custom soundtracks for various media.

Port Townsend, WA has been his base of operations since 1990. He still performs widely on harp in the Western U.S. and Northern Europe and for the past 17 years had become something of an institution in the Puget Sound region for his impromptu free concerts aboard Washington State Ferries. The beauty of the Pacific Northwest is key to his musical inspiration.

The Creation of The Four Seasons Video

Brian, Randy and I share a vision: There is a deep connection between art and nature. When impressionistic music and film are blended with a passion for beauty, the results can be breathtaking and can allow others to experience the stunning source of that collective vision. Brian's determination to bring us these landscapes we so cherish, along with the natural sounds he collected along the way, and to allow Randy and me to interpret the material, musically weaving it into a story, truly has become our most valued interdisciplinary project to date. Our schooling and life experiences gave us the tools to take this on, but only our deep love for the magnificence which is Western Washington could see us through this accomplishment.

Brian spent two years filming this using the latest HD video gear, shooting from helicopters, on foot and via some unusual means: like his camera trolley invention on which his camera travels in slow motion by remote control, right across canyons, through tree branches and over the tops of waterfalls. There's also a stunning sequence on the filmbaby preview filmed from the jetski zooming up a flooded slough at sunrise on an icy cold winter morning over glassy water.

The Musicians:

David Michael - Celtic harp, hammer dulcimer, bowed psaltery, viola de gamba

Randy Mead - Piano, soprano and bass flutes, soprano sax, proteus

Joe Breskin - classical guitar and electric guitar

The Production Team:

Directed and Edited
Brian Noblet

Score and composition:
David Michael and Randy Mead

Recorded and Engineered:
Neville Pearsall at Synergy Sound, Port Townsend

Artwork and Graphic design:
Noblet Productions.

For free catalogs, wholesale or licensing inquiries, bookings, please contact:
PURNIMA PRODUCTIONS P O BOX 317 PORT TOWNSEND WA 98368 (360)379 9732 harp@olympus.net www.purnimaproductions.com		Noblét Productions 1507 - 188th St NE Arlington, WA 98223 Phone: 425-346-4283 www.nobletproductions.com