Over the course of six song cycles, comprising 33 songs, Rudy Ising draws you into themes of winter, bitterness, the labyrinth of theory, the emptiness of suburbia, hope, love and loss.

33 MP3 Songs
CLASSICAL: Contemporary, EASY LISTENING: Musicals/Broadway



Details:
iTunes SPECIAL--Download the entire 2 CD set for the cost of ONE CD!

Lieder by Rudy Ising is a two-disk set of song cycles that express a broad range of styles and themes. Over the course of six song cycles, comprising thirty-three songs, Rudy Ising draws you into themes of winter, bitterness, the labyrinth of theory, suburbia, hope, love and loss.

These song cycles span a wide expanse, and are produced and performed by Rudy Ising. All of the music and most of the lyrics are composed by the artist, with some lyrics by Lorraine Graveson and Valerie Ising, a songwriter in her own right. The songs seem to spring from a lifetime of experience, and are at once human, thoughtful, expressive and intelligent. Musically, the songs borrow most from the pop genre, but represent an intense, personal expression.

Packaged in a 4-page gatefold cover with inner sleeves, reminiscent of the artistic covers of older LP's, this CD is both a pleasure for the eyes as well as the ears.


RECORDING/MASTERING DETAILS:
All of the recordings were produced by the artist, and recorded in a variety of environments. Some were recorded at home, some at his professional studio, Rising Star Recording. Many of the early works were recorded direct to stereo tape, or to four track.

In the 1980's and 1990's, Rising Star Recording was a 16 track facility, with full complement of outboard effects, as well as a combination of both live room and isolation booths. Along with this were many MIDI instruments, which were used in these recordings. Final mixes were most commonly digital (DAT) though some were mixed to half-track analog.

Because of the variance in recording methods and environments, care has been taken during the remastering process to assure the best quality sound without sacrificing any of the musical elements. As a result, you may encounter some small noise or distortion in some of the recordings, which to remove would have degraded the musical output.


BIO:
At the age of four, Rudy Ising would often sit at the family piano and imitate classical recordings. Typically, these were impressionist works, and had descriptive titles. Sadly, no recordings exist of these early improvisations. However, his interest in creative work remains to this day. He has written numerous poems and prose works, in addition to the many musical works now in his catalog.

His father was one of the pioneers of commercial animated cartoons; his mother was once under contract to RKO. His grandmother painted. It is no surprise, then, that Rudy Ising would have interests in the creative arts. Growing up, Rudy Ising played piano at home, concentrating on improvised works instead of lessons or classical works. When he was about 14, he began to write prose and poetry, and also showed interest and skill in artwork. During high school, he also taught himself to play drums. He wrote for the school paper and edited a literary magazine. During this time, he also pursued his interest in recording, and made numerous amateur recordings.

He attended Pepperdine University, with a BA in music. He studied piano, organ, composition and conducting. He directed a series of noon concerts and organized an ensemble for early music.

In 1975, Rudy Ising purchased his first four-track recorder. In 1983, he began Rising Star Recording as a location recording service in Chicago. In 1986, he moved back to California, and opened a professional recording studio in Orange County. He provided live sound engineering for bands and artists, in addition to recording many local bands at his facility. He also continued to pursue his own musical interests. In the 1980's, he released his first commercial recordings through the now-defunct Missing Link Music.

In the early 1990's, he created the score for the full length feature film, Broken Hearts, and also scored the animated short, Sex Sex Sex. He also collaborated with another writer to compose the music for musical, Take a Chance on Me. He continued to write other works, both in the classical and pop genres, many found in recordings available from Ocean Door Records.

In the mid-1990's, he began collaborating with his wife on songs. In 1999 they produced the CD, Beyond the Comfort Zone (available on Ocean Door Records) featuring original songs written by Rudy and Valerie Ising.

In 2002, Rudy Ising remastered many of his earlier recordings. Now available on Ocean Door Records, these works span his entire career to date, and feature music in a variety of genres. Working from his home studio in Laguna Niguel, he continues to write and record.