Vistas

A note from the Composer:

Vistas was conceived, pre-pandemic, as a CD featuring my music for soprano, flute, and guitar. In the original plan, I would have played all the guitar parts, and the music would have been first presented in concert, then recorded. Because of the pandemic, that concert never took place and the recording, editing, mastering and production took almost 4 years.
Somewhere in the process, I very sensibly decided that the project would likely turn out better if other guitarists were involved, leaving me essentially in the role of producer. One of the benefits of that decision was that wonderful guitarists, Adam Cicchilitti, Louis Trépanier and Emily Shaw, learned my music. Adam and Lara have performed Vistas, the title track, several times and have recorded it again for their new CD being released in August 2023. I would like to thank the City of Ottawa and the University of Ottawa for supporting this project.”
– John Gordon Armstrong

About John Gordon Armstrong
Born in Toronto, John studied composition at the University of Toronto and the University of Michigan where he received his doctorate in 1983. Although primarily a composer of concert music, he has also written for film, dance and theatre; he is well known in Ottawa for his 12 collaborations with Odyssey Theatre. Having taught at a number of universities in Canada and the United States, John is currently an Adjunct Professor of Composition and Theory at the University of Ottawa.

False Spring
Doreen Taylor-Claxton, soprano
Lara Deutsch, flute
Louis Trépanier, guitar

1. The Lake [2:19]
2. Red Leaves [1:25]
3. So faint the geese this fall [1:09]
4. Pavane [1:54]
5. Old Photographs [0:23]
6. False Spring [1:21]
7. Return [2:32]

Vistas
Lara Deutsch, flute
Adam Cicchillitti, guitar

1. Horizon [5:19]
2. Dance of the Shadows [3:13]
3. Sunset [3:27]

Ghosts 3
Doreen Taylor-Claxton, soprano
Lara Deutsch, flute
Louis Trépanier, guitar

1. Shadows [1:01]
2. Strange Sounds [0:33]
3. Evening Shad [0:54]
4. Sudden Storm [0:24]
5. Ghost Dance [1:03]
6. Rippling Water [1:25]
7. Darkness Swirling [1:02]
8. Morning Mist [0:45]
9. Desert Winds [0:32]
10. Icicles [1:03]

Child’s Play
Lara Deutsch, flute
1. First Steps [1:47]
2. Curious [2:20]
3. Waking [2:50]
4. Mischievous [0:59]
5. Sleeping [3:38]

An die Musik II
Doreen Taylor-Claxton, soprano
Emily Shaw, guitar

1. Antimusic [3:38]
2. Viola [3:03]
3. And die Musik [1:46]
4. Syrinx [2:43]
5. If Musik? [4:39]

Songs for Lyra
Doreen Taylor-Claxton, soprano
Lara Deutsch, flute
Louis Trépanier, guitar

1. Night Song [4:58]
2. Song of Darkness [1:40]
3. Love Song [4:04]