”Age of Dreams” by Richard Green is a mild reflection on childhood and the feeling of possibility it brings. The article looks back on a period in life when imagination seemed without limits and the future appeared to have numerous open doors. Instead of treating childhood just as a memory, Green uses it as a place where dreams can exist freely before the duties and limitations of adulthood start to affect the way we view the world.
The piano and the strings are what give the piece its main character, combining a classical basis with a modern approach. This pairing seems appropriate for the theme, since it enables the work to deal with childhood without making it too complicated. The idea on which “Age of Dreams” is based has a clear sense of simplicity, and that simplicity is reflected in the composition as a whole. Irene Veneziano plays the piano while Archimia provide the string performances, thus giving Green’s composition a well-balanced and expressive arrangement.
What is striking in this piece is the way its musical language corresponds to its subject. Since childhood is linked with freedom, imagination and the conviction that almost anything is possible, “Age of Dreams” stays firmly focused on these ideas. In order to convey them there is no requirement for a complicated arrangement or a sophisticated concept. The piano and the strings offer sufficient room for the piece to remain concentrated, which enables the listener to experience the feeling of looking back on a more innocent and unrestrictive phase of life.
As part of Green’s “First Light” EP, which is a work dealing with childhood and forms part of a wider trilogy examining various stages of human life, the song has a more significant meaning. Nevertheless, even in the absence of this broader context, “Age of Dreams” functions as a thoughtful single track. The song has a refined quality because of the combination of piano, strings and a contemporary influence, even though its subject matter remains simple and easy to identify with. Green conveys something that is recognisable to many listeners, the sense of freedom that comes from dreaming before life teaches us to put limits on what we think is possible.
