Early last month, I traveled from my Denver home to Rhode Island to meet Brandon Winrich, a music composition major at the University of Rhode Island. It was the conclusion of a remarkable artistic journey for him, and was a life-changing day for me -- a day three years in the making. In 2008, Brandon contacted me, asking for permission to compose orchestral music inspired by my 7th Son sci-fi thriller novel trilogy. As a lifelong fan of classical music, I was humbled and delighted ... and I gave Brandon the green light without reservation.
The following year, Brandon composed and helped perform Movement 1: Descent, a 6:45 song inspired by the events in the first 7th Son novel. This was part of a project for his musical studies. In 2010, he paid similar homage to Deceit with another public performance. But this year, for his third and final 7th Son-inspired composition (and senior recital), Brandon emailed and asked if I might personally attend the live performance of movements 1 and 2 ... and a first-ever performance of Movement 3: Destruction. The trilogy of songs would be played by 10 musicians, and conducted by a URI graduate.
I booked the flight that night.
The audio file at the end of this post is a recording of that live performance. Click play, and you'll hear the work of a talented young man embarking on what can only be an incredibly successful artistic career. I am deeply touched and honored that anyone would be so inspired by my work to create something so compelling. I'm grateful Brandon allowed me to freely share this recording with you.
Here is a guide of the 7th Son Trilogy scenes Brandon re-created in this 25-minute performance. Note that movements -- each named after 7th Son novels -- are introduced by a long note played by horns ... the very hmmmmm "scene change" sound heard in the 7th Son podcast novels.
7th Son, Movement 1: Descent is comprised of 8 sections:
- "The president of the United States is dead. He was murdered in the morning sunlight by a four-year-old boy."
- A Former Life
- Send in the Clones
- Descent / The Womb
- Contacting the Outside
- Following Alpha's Trail / "I Comply" / Hacking the CDC
- Showdown at Folie à Deux
- "It's Never Over"
7th Son, Movement 2: Deceit is comprised of 8 sections:
- John Alpha(s) and Special(k)
- Homecoming / To the Fallen
- Alert Status 1: Lockdown
- The Proto Womb
- Hack Back
- Prime Time
- Escape from Prophecy, Texas
- Wild Card / Tanker Chase / The Fifth Wheel
7th Son, Movement 3: Destruction is comprised of 12 sections:
- Killjoy
- 760 United Nations Plaza
- The Cavalry Arrives
- Catalyst
- A Fateful Ride
- Obsidian
- The Life and Times of Kilroy 2.0
- Return to the 7th Son Facility
- Commotion in the Common Room / The Madman's March
- The Final Battle
- Aftermath
- Epilogue – 6 months later
Tomorrow, I'll post a PDF of incredible liner notes, packed with comments and artistic insights written by Brandon himself. He was keen to share his creative commentary with you, and I am delighted to oblige.
Before I present the recording, I want to introduce you to the 10 musical performers of 7th Son: The Soundtrack. The musicians are URI students. The conductor is a URI alum. All are supremely talented.
- Geri Muller -- Flute, Piccolo
- Theresa Procopio -- Oboe, English Horn
- Brandon Winrich -- Clarinet
- Charles Larson -- Soprano Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone
- Chelsea Anderson -- Trumpet
- Erin Dawson & Michael Rayner -- Trombone
- Benjamin Boisclair, Zachary Friedland & Christopher Vinciguerra -- Percussion
- Stephen Grueb -- Conductor
I hope you are as dazzled by this three-movement performance as I was. It's further proof that 7th Son fans remain the greatest fans in the world.
--J.C.