“Measures of Light” by Wayne Bethanis
Album Review for New Age CD, New Age Notes Radio, Zone Music Reporter (ZMR), and “Spirit Seeker Magazine”
“Mystical and utterly magical throughout, ‘Measures of Light’ is epic and expansive, and will leave you breathless with wonder. Wow!” – New Age Notes Radio
I’m not sure why, but I was not familiar with the music of Wayne Bethanis. There’s a certain style here and a dynamic that is quite distinctive and hard to beat. “Measures of Light,” Wayne’s new album, is nine extraordinarily beautiful piano compositions that will actually leave you breathless.
Wayne holds a Ph.D. in Music and is a best-selling New Age piano recording artist, as well as a television and radio host. His dissertation on Mozart was chosen to be housed at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. As a teacher and lecturer, Wayne has published several articles on the arts, lectures extensively, and has trained students to compete and win internationally.
“Measures of Light” was released April 10, 2021. Three singles were released from the album. The album opens with the epic, “The Legend of Tartaria.” This is a gorgeous, mysterious, and big piano-based piece, with orchestration by Jared Kraft. The composition speaks to the lost civilization of Tartaria, information about which apparently has been deleted from history books. The use of percussion in the form of anvil and timpani is effective in conveying the sound of stone construction. I just love this, and it’s a great open to this album.
Following is lovely and lilting “Tuatha Dé Danann.” This is melodic, bright, and flowing, and speaks as well to another lost civilization. The piece is essentially a Gaelic folk melody, but so much more. Wayne’s piano performance is utterly magical and extraordinary – throughout – but particularly here.
“Song for a New World” is lively, quick, upbeat, and optimistic, addressing diversity and optimism and post-pandemic hope for all. A long, flowing, and expressive ballad, “I’m Always Here” invites us to remember enduring love and friendships, but also, perhaps speaks about Spirit who never deserts us. This is really pretty and full of passion and emotion.
Somewhere out there, far, far away, is a star system located in the constellation of Scorpius. The ethereal “The Butterfly Cluster” is named for this system. A richly hued, fast-paced composition, with an “open-fifth” arrangement gives us a grand soundscape of this mystical cluster. Awesome.
Lush, wide, and reverent, with again beautiful piano and orchestration, “The Unexpected Prophet” tells the story of a prophet (addressed in ancient Hebrew scriptures), who appears, seemingly out of nowhere. Intuition heightened for many in these strange times, there may be a lot of unexpected prophets out there these days. It’s a great song.
“These Years” is a favorite on this album. Upbeat and melodic, with a strongly positive vibe, the song was a finalist for the “International Oneness Award.” Again, with gorgeous piano and orchestration the piece is a true winner. I love everything about it. It’s happy and invites us to be happy even in these challenging times.
With its music-box vibe and soft sounds of the sea, “I Will Return to You” is about waiting for the return of a lover. This is completely, hands-down, my ultimate favorite on this album in every way. Again, we have an extraordinary piano performance from Wayne along with stellar orchestration. It’s a long-awaited embrace that could move you to tears.
The album closes out with the epic “The Gods of the Egyptians.” Were Egyptians visited by extraterrestrials way back when? This song will have you believing it. This is huge, vast, and truly impressive, with a very cool electric guitar performance by Marcus Sjowall at the very end.
“Wow!” is what I have to say.
Get / listen to “Measures of Light” wherever music is sold.
Official artist website: http://www.waynebethanis.com
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3hzfSY3
Apple Music: https://apple.co/3dKUyxA
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wh20ai
Credits:
All songs composed and performed by Wayne Bethanis
Produced by Wayne Bethanis
Piano: Wayne Bethanis
Orchestration: (Except for The “Butterfly Cluster” and “The Legend of Tartaria”) by Marcus Sjowall
Orchestration: “The Butterfly Cluster” and “The Legend of Tartaria” by Jared Kraft
Studio Engineer: Julian Shah-Taylor
Mixing & Mastering: Marcus Sjowall, Jared Kraft, and Melissa Orquiza
Electric guitar on “Song For a New World,” “These Years” and “Gods of the Egyptians” by Marcus Sjowall
Cover Art: Joe Debolt
Recorded at Tardis Studios, Los Angeles, California
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