IMPERIUM: New Solo Piano Album - OUT NOW !

IMPERIUM: The Story of Rome in Solo Piano

If Rome had a soundtrack, this would be it. IMPERIUM — new album out now !

3/16/2025

I’m proud to announce the release of my new solo piano album, IMPERIUM... on the Ides of March, no less !

This project has been years in the making, blending my lifelong study of Ancient Rome with my work as a composer. IMPERIUM tells Rome’s story in sound: ten tracks that span from its legendary founding to the dawn of the Empire. Each piece is inspired by a pivotal event or era, drawing on ancient sources while transforming history into music.

This is Rome as I hear it — cinematic, dramatic, and human.

IMPERIUM is out now!

🎧 Buy / Download: https://ffm.to/elv2jq6

🎶 Stream: https://ffm.bio/1p2p81e

🎬 Official Artist YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@markbulmer

🎥 Available for TV, film, and soundtrack sync licensing

Track List & Historical Inspiration

1. For the Glory of Rome

  • History: 753 BCE – Romulus founds Rome after killing Remus, establishing the city on the Palatine Hill (Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 1.6–7).

  • Tempo/Character: Bold, stately, and triumphant.

  • Inspiration: Written to sound like a Roman anthem — a proud opening statement for the album, evoking grandeur similar to cinematic scores like Gladiator.

2. Punic Wars

  • History: 264–146 BCE – Rome’s three wars with Carthage culminate in Carthage’s destruction, cementing Rome’s Mediterranean dominance (Polybius, Histories 1–3).

  • Tempo/Character: Driving and martial, with shifting dynamics.

  • Inspiration: Reflects the long, grinding nature of three wars — alternating between moments of relentless momentum and tense, uneasy calm.

3. Ghosts of Cannae

  • History: 216 BCE – Hannibal annihilates Roman forces at Cannae. Over 50,000 Romans die in one of the Republic’s worst defeats (Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 22.49–51).

  • Tempo/Character: Slow, haunting, somber, and heavy.

  • Inspiration: Built like a funeral lament, capturing the immense loss of life and the haunting legacy that followed.

4. Pharsalus

  • History: 48 BCE – Caesar defeats Pompey in Greece, consolidating power and pushing Rome toward dictatorship (Appian, Civil Wars 2.71–82).

  • Tempo/Character: Tense, propulsive, and storm-like.

  • Inspiration: Reflects the chaos of civil war — rapid passages evoke clashing legions, while dramatic pauses mirror the uncertainty of Rome’s fate.

5. The Ides

  • History: 44 BCE – Julius Caesar is assassinated by senators, including Brutus and Cassius, in the Theatre of Pompey (Plutarch, Caesar 66–67).

  • Tempo/Character: Unsettled, shifting between calm and violence.

  • Inspiration: Uses abrupt changes in rhythm and harmony to capture betrayal and the shock of the moment.

6. Philippi

  • History: 42 BCE – Octavian and Antony defeat Brutus and Cassius in Macedonia, ending the Liberators’ resistance (Appian, Civil Wars 4.105–138).

  • Tempo/Character: Relentless and dramatic.

  • Inspiration: Built around a march-like pulse — a grim reflection of the final stand of the Republic’s defenders.

7. Dying Republic

  • History: 42–31 BCE – The Second Triumvirate fractures as Octavian rises and Antony allies with Cleopatra, eroding the Republic (Dio Cassius, Roman History 49–50).

  • Tempo/Character: Dark, slow-building, and foreboding.

  • Inspiration: A piece of decline and disintegration — the music decays into instability, echoing the Republic’s collapse.

8. Actium

  • History: 31 BCE – Octavian’s fleet defeats Antony and Cleopatra off Actium, securing his sole control of Rome (Plutarch, Antony 65–68).

  • Tempo/Character: Energetic, wave-like, and dramatic.

  • Inspiration: Driven by rolling, tidal rhythms that mirror naval battle — sudden bursts of energy reflect the clash at sea.

9. Pax Romana

  • History: 27 BCE onward – Octavian, now Augustus, establishes the Empire and ushers in two centuries of relative peace (Tacitus, Annals 1.1–2).

  • Tempo/Character: Calm, spacious, and meditative.

  • Inspiration: Written to breathe — long phrases and open harmonies symbolize stability after centuries of conflict.

10. SPQR

  • History: Eternal Rome – “Senatus Populusque Romanus” endures as a symbol of Rome’s power and identity across millennia.

  • Tempo/Character: Grand, expansive, timeless.

  • Inspiration: A closing statement that ties the album together, echoing the idea of Rome’s eternal legacy in music.