In the Garden of Eden
Catalog Number: J137
Click to Enlarge
 
 
ARTISTS
Ariel Gilley, COMPOSER, PIANIST
 
Buy this item:
 
REPERTOIRE
 
Ariel Gilley (Yoo Eun Kim), a pianist and a recording artist, has been composing her own classical piano pieces based on familiar Christian hymns for over 15 years. Most recently she has desired to compose with original thematic material, not necessarily based on hymns, to create programmatic works that relate stories from the Bible in music. The result comes to life with her latest release In the Garden of Eden. The music is based on a well known narrative from the Book of Genesis: the creation of the Garden and the expulsion of Adam and Eve.

Fulfilling her goal to create 'serious music' in praise of God, this piece relates to the place, the action, and even the emotions of the characters of the story, using various musical themes that transform critical meanings into certain tunes in their own unique ways.

The sixteen movements of the work, including three brief reposes called 'Reminiscence', also enable the listener to reflect on the larger nature of this legend, allowing for the contemplation of the events that have passed and those that will come.

The music flows over two discs and is complemented by narratives of Bible verses establishing a background to each piece. The music of Disc One conveys Paradise, full of love and joy, and Disc Two confronts the consequences of the Fall and the remaining Promise yet to come.  
 
"[a] fascinating transubstantiation of biblically Edenic themes into musical impressionism..." World Magazine

"The music is...well crafted, dramatic and somewhat romantic...[Ms] Gilley knows how to write for the piano and the harmonies are interesting." American Record Guide