A multi-talented singer, composer and keyboard virtuoso, Richard Theisen’s ever-evolving musical muse – and subsequent eclectic career journey – proves that for visionary artists, musical creativity is always open to fresh and exciting new adventures. Decades before his emergence as an essential new age artist with his jazz-influenced debut album Mayan Stars in 2019, he was keeping amazing company (Glenn Frey, Patti Labelle, Harold Faltermeyer) as a songwriter on the classic Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. Though his co-write “Rock ‘N Roll Me Again” (performed by The System) wasn’t a hit single, he achieved every musician’s dream by winning a Grammy when the soundtrack earned the award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media in 1986.
Throughout the 90s, Theisen found himself in high demand as a pianist, singer and entertainer. In 2011, he formed Theisen Productions to produce instrumental music for use in TV and film. Believing he had much more to offer the world that random library music, he embraced his desire to use instrumental music as a means of personal expression and artfully segued into the new age realm. The composer’s gorgeous, sweeping new epic collection Oceanova – his debut on Wayfarer Records – is his follow-up to the multi-award winning 2023 self-released project Estonia. While the seamless flow he creates over the course of its ten tracks make the album easy to listen to straight through for pure inspiration and relaxation, conceptually he has bigger things in mind.
With Oceanova, Theisen has, much like fellow visionary synthesist/composer David Arkenstone has done numerous times, created a vibrant score/soundtrack to a dynamic original short story he authored about both the earthbound and spiritual adventures of a mythical Greek poet and master of the lyre, a unique U-shaped string instrument native to Ancient Greece. Comprised of ten chapters/tracks, the compelling visuals, drama and character interactions of the story are artfully matched with the soul-transportive vibes of the music to create a fascinating and wildly imaginative visual and aural journey.
Although listeners in most genres these days limit their experience to downloads and streaming, as with the classic new age packaging in the heyday of such projects by labels like Narada, those wanting the full experience of Oceanova should seek out the full packaging. Broken down in single paragraphs titled after each track, Theisen’s saga unfolds like a magnificent encounter between a humble yet talented musician (Arion) and an angel of light named Sterope. Feeling defeated after throwing away the last gold leaf of the crown he earned by winning a music contest in Sicily, he is adrift at sea, hopeful of heading home, when she circles his boat and hovers directly in front of him. Sterope is the embodiment of pure divine love, explaining that she first visited him as a child and told him she would one day return. She reassures him that they will meet again in the afterworld, but for now his life and all hope can be restored via the new lyre she has place in his lap.
The details Theisen provides around those basic plot points are exciting, but these writings are best experienced as an open door to the rhythmically diverse, sonically intricate and multi-faceted musical experiences we encounter throughout the Oceanova the album. The musical narrative begins with “Zephyrus” (the name of the ship Arion sails to Sicily for the contest), a mystical, atmospheric and dreamily melodic tune that sweeps us in and entices us to immerse in the colorful surreality. One of several more intimate piano-centric pieces on the album, the title track “Oceanova” chronicles the wonder, mystery and poignancy of Arion’s new life situation, as he finds himself alone and distraught on an island and boards a boat he hopes leads him home As listeners might expect, the song introducing “Sterope” is full of immersive, free-floating atmospheres and the beauty of the embrace of angelic voices.
Featuring a lush, graceful and seductive string melody and more soulful, transcendent orchestrations, “Celestial Visions” is the piece Theisen uses to enhance the part of the story where Sterope reveals more about the realm she comes from – and tells Arion that the music he plays touches the outer edges of that region, “and we listen.” It’s the sign of encouragement he needs to realize the value of what he does and how it resonates in the universe. Another gorgeous piano and orchestra piece, the gently caressing ballad “The Gift” provides the perfect background for her to reveal just how important it is that he continue making music to the glory of the Creator who gave him his musical gifts.
Sterope's eye and soul opening revelations continue on the lively and whimsical “Echoes of a Gentle Rain,” where the pattern of melodic notes flows like dancing drops on the water before majestic, dramatic strings; the soothing, lullaby like “Infinite Dream,” where she tells him she first visited him as a child; and the hypnotic, classically tinged “In League With Angels,” reflecting a iconic moment where the dolphins are giggling in response to what Sterope is revealing. Theisen wraps Oceanova with the dramatic power of “The Return,” which balances suspenseful tension with dream-fueled determination as the dolphins rise to follow Sterope back to her home; and the final piano piece, an elegant meditation with subtle strings reflecting the possibilities of life for Arion after his angelic encounter.
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