Galaxy Mix
Galaxy Mix is the next small step – or “giant leap” – in composer Bruce Lazarus’ continuing series of space-inspired music. All the music on this album was realized sonically on NotePerformer, Garritan, and SoftSynth instrument libraries driven by precisely notated scores printed in Finale, a meticulous process which took the composer five years of experimentation and discovery to bring to fruition. The resulting music is orchestral in nature, and offers stunning, prismatic glimpses into faraway imaginary worlds and celestial phenomena.
GALAXY MIX (2024) for digital orchestra
1 To the Stars 1:49
2 Robot Parade 2:24
3 Distant Worlds 8:50
4 The Veil Nebula 6:02
5 Cosmic Nocturne with Theremin 2:05
6 A Tour of Galaxy City 3:29
7 MOVING PARTS (2019)
for digital percussion ensemble 9:21
8 HARPSICHORD 7/4 TOWARD SATURN 4:04
Program Notes
Galaxy Mix (2024) for digital orchestra
1 To the Stars serves as prelude into the Galaxy Mix cycle, introducing the two musical ideas which unite its six pieces: the “guide to the stars” motive in the bells, and the “optimistic future” theme of simple triads. Ad astra!
2 Robot Parade originated as the soundtrack for an animated video created in collaboration with visual artist Robert Martens, where diverse, high-tech, retro-looking robots parade past a cheering crowd on their way to the junkyard. To watch the video please visit brucelazaruscomposer.com/robot-parade.
3 Distant Worlds – The guiding bells lead us to imaginary planets light-years away, some violent and dangerous, others possessing unearthly beauty.
4 Galaxy Mix continues with The Veil Nebula where low wind instruments and a subdued version of the “optimistic” theme are featured elements in a quiet, moody piece which does not yield its secrets easily. The actual Veil Nebula appears in the constellation Cygnus and is about 2,400 light-years away.
5 Cosmic Nocturne with Theremin – This short piece, featuring a theremin melody based on the “guide” motive, is an homage to thereminist Dr. Samuel Hoffman and composer Harry Revel who collaborated on the 1947 album Music Out of the Moon, a ground-breaking disc of spooky theremin melodies which became the model for countless sci-fi movie and television soundtracks.
6 A Tour of Galaxy City concludes Galaxy Mix with the apotheosis of the “optimistic future” theme. We have here a futuristic, utopian metropolis, glorious in its self-satisfaction and hubris.
7 Moving Parts (2019) for digital percussion
Moving Parts, like Robot Parade, also originated as the soundtrack for a Martens-Lazarus animation, an “optical ballet” featuring seven small dots which traveled, spun, changed colors, and leapt to form playful, often complex abstract patterns. The music blends “modernist” percussion and minimalism with a few “bleeps & bloops” suggesting video games and 1960s computers, an evocation shared with Robot Parade. To watch the video please visit brucelazaruscomposer.com/moving-parts-1.
8 Harpsichord 7/4 Toward Saturn
is indeed in 7/4 time throughout and was inspired by a line from Arthur C. Clarke's novel 2001: A Space Odyssey: "...Discovery drove on toward Saturn, as often as not pulsating with the cool music of the harpsichord."