By Dimitri von Stadberg

As a teaser of his upcoming podcast novella, Maiden Flight of the Avenger, acclaimed author, podcaster, multimedia artist, composer and humorist Alex White will release the self-composed, self-produced musical soundtrack to Maiden Flight on December 10th, 2010. Mr. White made a splash in the podcasting world earlier this year with the release of his Parsec-nominated podcast novel, The Gearheart, a rollicking steam-pulp adventure of machines, magic and political machinations (which I encourage you to listen to here). Maiden Flight... is a prequel work, focusing on high-flying arcane technopath and The Gearheart principal, Augustus Ellsworth. The score of Maiden Flight of the Avenger, featuring a full orchestra and many exotic instruments besides (thanks to the help of digital sampling technology), evokes the very forces of magic and technology whose interplay makes the world of The Gearheart such a fascinating backdrop for a story. 

The opening track, “The Barnswallow”, conjures images of flight with lilting woodwinds representing the aerobatics of small birds and percussion and brass later adding the pumping of a biplane's engine to this aural skyskape. Could this indeed be the background music for the Avenger's first flight? 

Tale of the Tome's” innocent-yet-erie music box melody suggests hidden arcane secrets waiting to be discovered by an unwitting reader idly thumbing through a random book off the shelf. These secrets blossom into an illumination of woodwind and strings.  “Pursued by Flame” is aptly titled, inspiring images of an aerial chase with woodwinds playing the part of a small, maneuverable craft while a larger, brassy vessel pursues with dogged determination. The Xylophone provides urgency while the timpani and cymbals sound the report of narrowly missed cannon fire.  

“Beyond the Clouds” suggests more of a change in weather than a change in altitude, perhaps underscoring a moment of tender melancholy occurring in the aftermath of Pursued by Flame's aerobatic storm. In the second half of the piece, the choir heralds a mysterious motif. Could this be the aural scenery for a delicate magical working of some kind?

“Forbidden Alchemy's” use of open harmonies, non-western instruments and the wordless singing of the Gearheart Choir combine to give this piece a world-music flavor while the appearance of motifs and themes from earlier movements serve to tie the composition back to the rest of the musical work and the story it helps to tell.  Where “Pursued by Flame” describes a small, maneuverable craft being chased by a relentless force, “The Hawk and the Swallow” denotes a dogfight. The woodwinds reprise their role as the crafty swallow while the voices and brass combine to portray the swift and powerful hawk.  And what would the musical aspect of a prequel to The Gearheart be without a nod to the iconic “Gearheart Theme?” “Once More, The Curtain Rises” translates the small-ensemble treatment of the original theme into orchestral fullness with brass, winds, strings and choir soaring where once guitars and synths pleaded.  

While not originally intended as a standalone work, the soundtrack from Maiden Flight of the Avenger offers longtime fans and newcomers to the world of The Gearheart the chance to speculate at exactly what twists and turns these seven carefully crafted orchestral arrangements will accompany in Alex White's new tale. Luckily for the impatient, the podcast novella goes live on December 20^th so we have just a short time to wait and wonder. You can find out more about Alex White, Maiden Flight of the Avenger, The Gearheart and Alex's other projects at www.thegearheart.com.

Professor Dimitri von Stadberg is a music educator, and singer/bassist for Atlanta-based steampunk band The Extraordinary Contraptions.