Label: Independent
Richard Dillon is an excellent example of someone who overcame barriers to his progress. He is autistic (Asperger’s) with ADHD. He found his path through music, and his brilliance has shone brightly like the North Star.
As I embark on Fernweh: The Need to Travel, I anticipate another emotional journey through Richard Dillon’s talented hands, a trip that I, and I’m sure many of you, can deeply connect with.
“Breakfast with my Best Friend” opens the recording. At 2:39, one of the shorter compositions offers a listener an opportunity to slip into music’s comfy chair, relax, and enjoy the soothing sounds of the piano’s keys. It’s as if his best friend could be a significant other or the piano, inviting us to share in his personal connection to the music.
“Fernweh: The Need to Travel” holds the significance of being the title track. This carries significant responsibility and demands making a strong impression on the audience. The piano is very tempered with soft notes and a leisurely tempo, then a sound enters the atmosphere, one that is impactful. It sounds like thunder or drums off in the distance with some distortion. Then, another change in direction, with the addition of orchestral synths, creates a new soundscape for drama and movement. Musical cinema is made on the imaginary stage inside your head.
“Memories of You” is short but very melodic with a tenderness that should be attached to a memory. The sweet notes float effortlessly through the air as you grab them with your consciousness and keep them to engage your own thoughts.
“Camelot” recalls certain things, like medieval times or John F. Kennedy. Two very separate things, however, just the term sparks these thoughts. The music continues with a very deliberate flow. The piano sounds beautiful as it gently invites you into its world, a world that we can’t help but admire.
“Chasing Butterflies” can be literal or figurative. I picture a field of flowers on a clear sunny day, chasing the insects with their colorful wings. Monarch butterflies are prevalent in my area, and I have always enjoyed watching them flutter with grace. The music has its own wings and effectively simulates that act through the piano keys.
“Goodbye” is so final; however, the context can differ. The piano keys paint a picture of that event. The tempo is slow to medium in transitions. The emotion of that act is captured perfectly, and you can feel it. It ends with a few tinkling notes, then a burst from the synth, which serves as the curtain call for this stage.
“Only Tomorrow Knows” what is in store. When we arrive there, the answer is revealed. The piano continues its gentle, slower tempo. The added orchestration adds another layer of beauty, accentuating the acoustic piano’s brilliance.
“Echoes of a Broken Heart” is the magnum opus of the recording, clocking in at 5:59. This is the story within a story, musically speaking. The intersection of music and emotion meets here as the piano keys sound like tears of emotional pain. They resonate throughout your surroundings and travel to your heart and soul, evoking a profound sense of empathy and understanding. The instrument’s softness amplifies the track’s meaning without words exceptionally well.
“Mother Ireland” is a track you would expect to be filled with energy and color. The melody begins, and it sounds like the Emerald Isle’s theme song. The tempo is slower as it carefully lays down the path to an ancient country and its history. The recording has occasional energetic moments but overall adopts a slower, more deliberate pace for greater impact and reflection.
“Putting Pen to Paper” is meant for thought and reflection. As your mind flows, you take notes and document them all for posterity. The piano is Chapter 1 as the notes tinkle in the high range, the lower range is the bass section that sets a foundation for the pen to engage, then act. The instrumentation is methodical, just as the process of writing is.
“Butterfly Swarm” is classical music with embellishments that gather and form like the subject matter would. The small, flitting wings of this transformed creature take to the air, creating a living patchwork quilt of color.
“Into the Mines” takes its subject matter in a different direction. It becomes more serious now as the lightness of the piano does its best to relieve the stress of that type of danger a miner faces each time they go to work. For the first time, a violin comes in to accompany the piano’s travels. The timbre of the stringed instrument holds a sadness. Interestingly, the melody of the Christmas song comes into play as the artist uses it to guide through different transitions.
“-20” could indicate a frigid temperature. That was my first thought, and the lower bass notes sound like trepidation as the higher notes attempt to offset that feeling. Mixed emotions are felt as the music flows into the grey areas of life.
“Faded Memories” are nevertheless memories, fragments of what once was and will never be. The piano again takes on the possibilities of sadness or something one would rather fade away naturally. The notes of the keys punctuate that thought process with their purposefully reflective flow.
“Butterfly Dreams” is the third offering on this subject. If you are following along and taking the tracks’ meanings to heart, you realize this part of the album is a trilogy, from chasing them to watching a swarm, then to a dream sequence. The piano once again takes the blank canvas and paints the picture for you. Let the sounds envelop you, and you become part of the dreams.
“Mother’s Eyes” ends this recording. In my memory, I see my mother’s eyes as soft and loving, but also strong enough to look right through me. She instinctively knew the truth of who I was. The piano takes its gentle path with the Love and respect we all have for those who bring us into this world. Appropriately, it ends just as it began, with an invitation to feel each note as if it were becoming alive in that moment—a lullaby to close the curtain on this instrumental journey.
Fernweh: The Need to Travel is Richard Dillon’s musical diary of life, spoken with care and understanding without a word. He takes the keys of the piano and uses it like an angel would a harp in heaven.
Keith
“MuzikMan” Hannaleck-NAMR Review Founder
November
15, 2025
Tracks:
01. Breakfast with my Best Friend [2:39]
02. Fernweh: The Need to Travel [3:55]
03. Memories of You [2:26]
04. Camelot [4:42]
05. Chasing Butterflies [3:31]
06. Goodbye [3:07]
07. Only Tomorrow Knows [2:53]
08. Echoes of a Broken Heart [5:59]
09. Mother Ireland [3:28]
10. Putting Pen to Paper [3:36]
11. Butterfly Swarm [2:25]
12. Into the Mines [4:56]
13. -20 [3:35]
14. Faded Memories [3:03]
15. Butterfly Dreams [2:32]
16. Mother’s Eyes [4:24]
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