• New Music: Silver Lining of a Quiet Year, by Marilynn Mair

    Silver Lining of a Quiet Year, by Marilynn Mair

    BRISTOL, MAINE — Mandolinist Marilynn Mair has announced the release of her new recording entitled Silver Lining of a Quiet Year, 29 original compositions composed during the coronavirus pandemic that shut down all possibility of live performance. Quirky, funny, and lovely by turn, this renowned mandolinist captures the joy of creativity in the face of an unexpectedly quiet year for public concerts.

    Supporting musicians include Robert N. Martel and Paul Dressel on guitars.

    From the liner notes

    In March of 2020 music folded its tent and moved off stage. Concerts, rehearsals, summer workshops were cancelled. As the year progressed, isolation and an uncertain future muted our lives. In the empty spaces, I began to compose. Études for solo mandolin. Fantasia for two mandolins. Nocturnes for mandolin and guitar. Choro, to conjure up Rio.

    As the touchstones of my outer music life disappeared, inner creativity awoke and found room to blossom.

    I wrote these pieces in just over a year. My quiet year with a silver lining. I will always be grateful that music found a way for me to move forward.


    Listen

    From the recording, "Etude gris."



    Track Listing

    10 Fantasia in dialogue

    • Fantasia - Floating
    • Fantasia - Planting Gardens
    • Fantasia - Peaches
    • Fantasia - In the Dark
    • Fantasia - Dragon Dream
    • Fantasia - Trouble in Mind
    • Fantasia - Holding Fast
    • Fantasia - By the Sea
    • Fantasia - Old Folks
    • Fantasia - Mama Said

    8 Nocturnes for Vincent

    • Nocturne 1
    • Nocturne 2
    • Nocturne 3
    • Nocturne 4
    • Nocturne 5
    • Nocturne 6
    • Nocturne 7
    • Nocturne 8

    10 Études en couleurs

    • Etude gris
    • Etude orange
    • Etude verte
    • Etude ombre
    • Etude de crepuscule
    • Etude ambre
    • Etude noire
    • Etude blanche
    • Etude bleue
    • Etude violette

    • Saudades do Rio (Missing Rio)

    Additional Information

    Comments 1 Comment
    1. DougC's Avatar
      DougC -
      Beautiful sounding mandolin. And the atmosphere captures the reflective nature of the situation. I found myself looking into the ocean view of the cover, being miles away somewhere.