So how does one pick the melodies for an upcoming CD? I have some in folders that are alphabetized and have been copywritten for many years.  Then I have a binder of various melodies that can either be verses, choruses or interludes. These are the most fun to look through. You flip pages and listen for a fit and lo and behold you find a great combo!  The compositions that lean toward the classical style are always near the piano.  It takes more time to write out an arrangement so I like to work on several songs at the same time.

Whenever I pass the piano I like to stop to  listen to what I have already written and then my fingers will invariably lead me to the next musical phrase.  I do not plan ahead because I like to go with what I am feeling at the moment. This is my creative time and I need silence.  It does not matter if the melody is fast or slow, solitude is a necessity.

Last Thursday I spent the entire day at the hospital getting ready for my husband’s surgery on June 1.  That was a LONG day and I just wanted to get home to catch up on paperwork and to get to bed early.  At eleven o’clock I got an email announcing that I was #7 on the Zone Music Reporter Top 100 Radio Airplay Chart! I was hoping to be on that list and  I was elated to be in the top 10.  Such a pleasant surprise.  It was too late to call and share the news with anyone at  that hour so I woke up my husband, Kes, to tell him the good news.

On Friday, heavy rain and a rising creek nearby.  I spent a few hours carrying buckets of water and dumping them away from the house.  Too tired to share my #7 story.

So on Saturday I decided to clean out the gutters since more rain is predicted for the week-end.  I did that and then  posted the news about  being #7.  By four o’clock I realized that I needed to take  a Driver’s Ed class that had to be completed by June first!  (Nothing like getting a ticket for going 34 in a 30 mile zone.) I thought I had till June 10th but I was wrong. So  I did the 6 hour course,  passed the test, and paid extra for Express Mail to get the certificate to me in time so that I could mail it out by June 1.

Today, Sunday I am playing catch-up, partying on Memorial Day, packing for the hospital on Tuesday and then major surgery for Kes on Wednesday.  We will be at the hospital for a few days.  Just another regular week-end at our house.  So what did you do?

On this piece the piano prepares you for the violin’s entry.  The violin unquestionably puts you in a midnight mood.  The interplay between violin and piano is arresting but not distracting.   The piece has a contemplative feel to it that puts you in mind to a pleasant end to the day’s activity.  And as the violin ceases, the piano closes with notes like drops of dew.

Elbert Hubbard wrote that “Art is not a thing.  Art is a way.”  And so it is with Laima’s compositional style.  Not only does she make music that is “simply beautiful,” but she shows us a way of being and a way of listening.  The instruments make you feel like they are listening as well as proclaiming.

“Whispers”  gets your attention immediately.  The piano prepares you for the opening statement by the flute.  And then the theme begins and is developed with the synthesizer and piano providing a sensuous accompaniment.  The piano then speaks with Laima’s characteristic yearning quality.  But the piano is no pushover.  There is strength and resolve in its aggressive delineation of the melody … and then dances away into a dream state.  The flute picks up where the piano leaves off. The flute answers the piano, balancing the passion with a calm serenity.  The piano simply arpeggiating,  just to let you know that it hasn’t gone away.  Altogether, “Whispers” is a fitting introduction for this masterly collection of exquisite pieces.