Described as haunting, nocturne-like, and emotionally-charged, Reign of Fire has been compard to Liz Story and Keith Jarrett. While stargazing in the mountains near Sapello, New Mexico in 1993, Novak was moved by the the stars' unchanging appearance that hide a cycle of birth and death stretching through enormous reaches of time. Naturalistic rather than astrological, each of the 16 piano compositions in Reign of Fire is linked to a star chosen for the legends surrounding it, the time of its yearly appearance, and the stage of its own immense life cycle. Each star, in turn, reflects a season of personal experience.

1000-1 (CD)

All music composed and performed by Jeannie Novak Produced by Jeannie Novak Album design by Jeannie Novak & Pete Markiewicz Cover photo: Daniel Hayes Uppendahl
Play "Mizar" from Reign of Fire --> (Additional audio from this CD available here)

About The Album

Divided into four suites, the album opens with the innocent, birth-themed music of Spring ("Regulus/ Emergence," "Mizar/Discovery," "Algol/Shadow," and "Spica/Magic"). The music then moves to the exploration of late childhood in Summer ("Vega/Carnival," "Altair/ Friendship," Deneb/Passion," and Antares/Wave"). The third suite illustrates the eventful passage through early adulthood in Autumn ("Polaris/Vision," "Fomalhaut/Solo," "Alpheratz/Duet," and "Aldebaran/ Night"). The final suite, Winter, explores the introspection in life's later stages ("Bellatrix/Horizon," "Capella/ Reflection," "Mira/Freedom," and "Achernar/Transformation"). Information about the stars for each of the pieces listed below comes from the following works: Star Names: Their Lore And Meaning (Richard Hinckley Allen), and The Friendly Stars (Martha Evans Martin & Donald Howard Menzel). Star images are subjective--based on descriptions, imagination, and personal observation.