"Shulman's masterful compositions on this CD make the dream feel like it can become real. The recording is flawless! We hope to hear more of Mr. Shulman's works... "Camelot" gets our HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating for lovers of sonic beauty everywhere in the world". ˇ Rotcod Zzaj: IMPROVIJAZZATION NATION
Lyrics to Movement V Camelot Reawakened: A Vision Fulfilled
by
Richard Shulman and Lance Kurland
Baritone:
I choose to be present here,
No matter how dark life seems around me now;
I'm choosing to face the fear,
The fear I believed in 'til now.
Alto:
There's a plan, there is a dream,
There is a truth waiting to be seen;
Let the promise of ages come forth.
Hear the call of the ancient song,
Speaking of visions we've held so long
Of Peace on Earth and a way to be
That honors the way of the heart.
Baritone:
In the midst of the fear, in the midst of the pain,
I will hold fast, love will remain.
Alto:
Love lives in you, love lives in me
Both:
Showing the way for us all to be free.
Chorus:
There is a peace shining within,
Below and above, there is a Love;
Let all the Love shining between
Every soul, let it be seen.
Remember the Light in the darkest of nights,
Remember the dream, keep it alive;
One step at a time, lettting go of the fear,
Finding the truth that makes it all clear;
Finding the strength, looking inside,
Healing our wounds, nothing to hide;
The peace from inside will bring Peace on the Earth,
Honoring all, knowing our worth.
Counterpoint:
Now is a new reality;
Together with love we change our destiny;
Loving peace is already here, acting in each of our lives.
From the same place we all come,
Each one unique and a part of the one,
The One that is in everyone,
Is the Love that we feel when we love anyone.
Chorus:
Walking a path of the heart (as a living prayer),
Joining together what once seemed apart,
Whatever we choose to become,
In our diversity we are still one.
Baritone:
Life shows a new way to be,
Each choice a new opportunity,
Both:
To let go of what seems to be
Tutti:
And remember the Love that we are.
Remember the Love that we are. Remember Love.
The Dream of Camelot
A dream coming true.
By Richard Shulman
Imagine the characters from Camelot talking amongst themselves in the inner planes after their generation had passed: "We almost made it! We almost created a heaven - on - earth. Let's try again..."
In late September 1996, as I closed my eyes in preparation to compose a Musical Soul Portrait, I saw a vision of a sword descending from the heavens directly in front of me. I opened my eyes and described the vision to my client. She said, "I have one word for you: Camelot".
She told me she had recently been to the British Isles to take part in a reactivation of the energies of Camelot, and gave me permission to use our time together to follow the vision that had come, and find it's expression in music.
At that time I was working on music for "Keeper of the Holy Grail" (conceived by and in collaboration with healer Samuel Welsh) with the intent that listeners would be assisted by the music to experience the Divine within. It became clear to me that "Keeper of the Holy Grail" was part of a larger soul group project which would eventually bring a musical, energetic, and finally a physical manifestation of the Dream of Camelot fulfilled, into community and society. This was not to be a regurgitation of the drama and historical failure we are familiar with, but a manifestation of a Dream of the Heart - a dream of Heaven on Earth, that flowered for a time in Camelot, and has continued to grow in strength on the inner planes and in the hearts and minds of many, awaiting it's manifestation in harmony, balance, and joy.
The Musical Soul Portrait performed that evening carried a power and beauty which expressed a dream of Heaven on Earth fulfilled. I knew I had been given a gift and a beginning, and I chose to follow the dream to it's completion.
I began to see synchronicities within my music and my life in which people and opportunities presented themselves to support the unfolding of a vision of the "Dream of Camelot" fulfilled. These synchronicities indicated a metaphor between a society envisioned, and a musical work which could express the qualities of that society.
Many of the Musical Soul Portraits I played during that period contained themes that were related to the original Camelot piece. I understood that each of these Musical Soul Portrait clients was carrying a piece of the jigsaw puzzle of a harmonious society on the soul level, and when that puzzle piece was expressed in their music, a double gift was given. Their Camelot melody served to awaken the memory of their soul's vision, and it also served to further the musical work of creating a piece that could reawaken the vision for others.
The discovery of the musical puzzle pieces for the Camelot project has also involved other projects. for five years, almost every creative recording I did contained or developed one of the themes of this living musical creation, thus linking much of my creative work together into an even larger whole.
The first such expression was "First Rites", a collaboration with Healing Touch Practitioners to create music for healing. "First Rites" musically expressed a process of letting go and healing which is necessary for individuals in the creation of a compassionate and harmonious society. At first, I had serious reservations about releasing "First Rites" to the public, thinking that I had 'stolen from myself'. Eventually I came to the realization that the Divine had moved through me and my collaborators in this healing work, that it had been a healing force among us, and that the music could support individuals in their healing and in the reawakening of their own heart's dreams.
As this process continued, I became aware of more and more related musical elements for the project. I had no idea of how the various themes would all fit together, so I simply cataloged the melodies and spent time with them. Little by little I found parts that felt good together and a form began to take shape.
With the form came arrangements for symphony orchestra, piano, choir and soloists. Working an hour or two most days, in my 'spare time', the piece gradually came together.
Working towards fulfilling a vision for all has given me a new opportunity to create my own dream come true. My passion for composing symphonic music has been growing in me for as long as I can remember. In college, I remember hearing a twenty piece string orchestra play back an exercise I had written. It felt like I was listening to God!
Over the years, I have continued to compose, but only rarely actually wrote for orchestra. Although the vision was there, the practical aspects seemed so immense! My fearful side would say, "How am I going to pay for so many musicians?" "What conductor will take a chance on my music?" and on and on. This was compounded as I wrote the orchestral arrangements for the Camelot project. Doubts such as "Am I making this all up?" cropped up again and again. It took considerable discipline to sit almost every day for several years working on something without a guarantee of its fulfillment.
Nevertheless, the sheer joy of composing this music, and the idea that this was part of a larger project that could help bring heaven on earth kept me at it.
The Universe supported the continuation of this project through exposing me to work that others are doing in reawakening the dream of Camelot, and by introducing me to those who could help organize, conduct, perform, and record a large scale symphonic production.
Robert Hart Baker
In the fall of 2000, I gathered my courage and approached Robert Hart Baker, the conductor of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, with a mostly finished score of the music. We scheduled a concert on January 12th 2002 that was entitled "Visions of Hope and Healing" at the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC, with a thirty-five piece orchestra. This concert featured the world premier of "Camelot Reawakened; A Vision Fulfilled."
The Camelot Reawakened CD was recorded at the concert and the following day in a closed recording session.
[Since the Fall of 2005, a Camelot Reawakened video is also available on DVD and VHS. On the video Richard explains the process and essense of the piece and of following the path of the Dream of the Heart. In addition the video captures the piece in the performances which created the basis of the CD.]
RICHARD SHULMAN
Keyboardist and composer Richard Shulman creates music intended to be a positive influence for himself, audiences, and society. Bringing beauty into the world is his passion, and the expression of inspiration with those he works with provides a fertile field for creation.
Shulman's new duo release with cellist Adriana Contino, New Beginnings, exemplifies the delicate balance between inner and outer listening as they explore free flowing improvisations as well as upbeat and lyrical compositions. Spontaneous magic occurs in the interweaving of cello and piano.
His award winning CD, Camelot Reawakened: A Vision Fulfilled, musically portrays a rebirth of the Camelot ideals. "The theme is the fulfillment of dreams of the heart for individuals and society," he explains. "The most beautiful world imaginable can happen, and I trust this music will contribute to its manifestation." Composed and orchestrated by Shulman over a five-year period, Camelot Reawakened is a contemporary-classical, nine-movement symphonic work featuring Shulman on acoustic piano with a 35-piece orchestra, a choir, and vocal and instrumental soloists. Shulman's CD's are available in stores nationwide and from RichHeart Music (888-699-3682 and www.richheartmusic.com).
According to Shulman, "For the past 19 years, album-by-album I have been attemptingto create music whichwill encourage a harmonious society envisioned by many spiritual traditions, forward thinkers and ordinary people." This journey has resulted in 18 of his own albums as well as other recordings for which he has provided the music. Trained in the classical field, Shulman first worked as a rock musician and then a jazz pianist before turning to music for healing and inspiration.
Shulman has performed at Carnegie Hall, Art Park, the United Nations, the Kool Jazz Festival, The Amenia Peace Festival and a wide variety of other venues throughout North America and in Europe. He has composed music for and performed on more than a dozen albums by others, including speakers in the field of guided meditations and visualizations. During residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, he composed music for orchestra and jazz quartet; and for a decade he was the principal composer for "Theatre of the Heart," a cooperative of dancers, singers and musicians dedicated to preserving community and the environment. Shulman's commissions include a piece for the Amherst Saxophone Quartet, and "May Peace Prevail on Earth" (a composition for singers, symphony orchestra, three choirs and jazz quartet) created for the World Peace Prayer Society.
Born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York, Richard often listened to symphonies on record and in concert as a youngster. His family got him a piano and he began lessons at age seven which continued through high school, although he additionally studied violin for a year and clarinet for five years. As a teenager Richard also played organ at various churches, was the music counselor at a summer camp in Canada, and joined a rock band with future jazz recording artists Thom Rotella and Bobby Previte. Shulman graduated from the University of Rochester with a double-major Bachelor's degree in music (piano performance) and psychology while continuing to perform with Previte in the jazz-fusion band Thermopylae. Shulman's early musical influences were Beethoven, Bach and Chopin; then in high school it was The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix; and on into college it switched to Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Paul Winter, Oscar Peterson and Ray Charles followed a few years later by Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, and Chick Corea.
While at Rochester, Shulman also attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music and studied jazz improvisation with Chuck Mangione and Marian McPartland, arranging with Rayburn Wright, and orchestration with Donald Hunsberger. Shulman continued his studies in jazz with Frank Foster while getting his Masters Degree in musical composition at the State University of New York at Buffalo. During those years he played onstage in concert with such jazz stalwarts as Thad Jones, Eddie Gomez, Pepper Adams, Jerry Dodgion, Freddie Hubbard and Al Harewood, and recorded his first jazz album, Wonder. After moving to New York City, Shulman played in the studio as a session musician with the great jazz rhythm section of Ron Carter and Grady Tate; performed with groups such as The Richard Reiter Swing Band, Providence and Crossing Point; and recorded and performed with the acts Mr. Spats (Steve Evans, June Bisantz, Steve Swallow and Bob Moses) and Bobby Previte. The Richard Shulman Group, a jazz quartet, played regularly in the New York area and recorded the albums A Simple Gift and Open Spaces, and Richard also released the solo jazz piano album Solo Flight.
Shulman began moving beyond the jazz scene in New York City when he recorded his first extemporaneous solo piano album, World Peace, on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima (he performed at a peace meeting the same day). This led Shulman into the world of new age music. Richard was then asked by a healing practitioner to play for his clients which was the beginning of Shulman's practice of creating special "Musical Soul Portrait" recordings for individuals, couples and groups (he has done more than 600 so far). Shulman also has released some of this type of music on the albums A Higher Dimension, Light Music, Music for Magnified Healing, First Rites and Sacred Music for Healing Hands Volumes 1 & 2.
Shulman's first two album releases with national marketing were Light from Assisi and Transformation at Assisi, inspired by spiritual pilgrimages to the town of Assisi in Italy where St. Francis lived. Richard also laid more groundwork for Camelot Reawakened with a pair of recordings -- Ascension Harmonics and the partially-orchestral Keeper of the Holy Grail -- with "spiritual attunements" by Samuel Welsh. "Our research for Holy Grail led me to the larger picture of Camelot," says Shulman, who also took a trip to Glastonbury, England in 1995 to study the area. "I feel that the energies of Camelot still reside in places like the Abbey there and the Michael Tor, the sacred hill which is pictured on the cover of Camelot Reawakened."
In 1996, Richard was preparing to do a "Musical Soul Portrait" for a woman who had recently returned from exploring the British Isles and tracing Arthur's journeys, although she hadn't told Shulman about that. When he closed his eyes to begin, he had a vision of a sword coming down from heaven. He told her what he had seen, and she said, "I have one word for you: Camelot." The music Richard created that day was the beginning of Camelot Reawakened. Over the next few years, he received other melodies about Camelot while doing soul portraits, and during the recording of his First Rites and Music to Walk the Labyrinth albums. "There were many threads that came slowly together to form the entire web. Synchronicities happened throughout the project. It was a spiritual adventure." After several years of arranging the orchestration for each movement of the Camelot piece, it was unveiled to the world in concert in January 2002, with members of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Hart Baker. It was recorded that day in front of the audience with additional recording the following day behind closed doors. The album contains liner notes about the project and an explanation of each movement which takes the listener from "The Dream" and "A Celebration" to "Prayer" and "The Dream Fulfilled." A DVD/video of the project was released in October of 2005.
"The possibilities for humanity have blossomed periodically through the ages, and when Camelot flourished, people dared to live a dream. I believe now is the time to begin opening ourselves again to living in harmony with one another, and in harmony with the entire universe, by each of us recognizing our dream within and fulfilling that vision as our contribution to the whole."
___
For more information contact:
RichHeart Music, 180 Dorchester Ave. Asheville, NC 28806
Phone: 828-253-6468, e-mail: info@richheartmusic.com,
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