Richard Dillon Unveils Fernweh – The Need to Trave, A Cinematic Journey in Solo Piano

by the partae November 16, 2025

written by the partae November 16, 2025

Seattle-based composer and pianist Richard Dillon returns this November with Fernweh: The Need to Travel, a captivating and cinematic solo piano album that evokes the timeless power of wanderlust, introspection, and emotional landscapes. Spanning compositions written between 2017 and 2025, this 16-track collection unfolds like a series of sonic postcards — each piece representing a place, a mood, or a moment forever etched in memory.

The title Fernweh, a German word loosely translated as “an ache for distant places,” captures Dillon’s lifelong fascination with travel — not just across physical space, but across emotional and psychological terrain. It’s fitting given Dillon’s background: growing up with Asperger’s and ADHD, he often turned to the piano as a navigational instrument for internal exploration. Through music, he found not only a refuge but also a way to connect with others and the world around him with depth and empathy.

The album opens with the tender “Breakfast with My Best Friend,” immediately immersing listeners in a sense of personal nostalgia. It’s intimate yet universal — the kind of track that feels instantly familiar, like the scent of coffee in the morning air. From there, Dillon moves through a variety of tonal settings. “Camelot,” with its sweeping romanticism and melodic grandeur, suggests imaginary kingdoms and childhood dreams. “Only Tomorrow Knows” strikes a more contemplative tone, reflecting uncertainty yet holding onto hope.

But Fernweh is no simple exercise in sentimentality. Dillon plays with emotional and sonic contrasts throughout the album — from the delicate nostalgia of “Chasing Butterflies” to the solemn, ambient textures of “-20,” a piece that captures the stark stillness of winter. “Echoes of a Broken Heart” stands out for its emotional rawness; it’s a widely cinematic track that evokes grief, resilience, and the surprising beauty of vulnerability.

The album’s closing track, “Mother’s Eyes,” is a lyrical meditation on love, lineage, and presence — a fitting finale to a journey that has been both outward and inward. It reinforces Dillon’s ability to translate deeply personal experiences into universal expressions, an approach that has resonated with audiences from Pandora listeners to global Spotify streams.

Though categorized under New Age and Neo-Impressionist genres, Dillon’s approach feels refreshingly modern. His compositions are cinematic without being bombastic, reflective without being indulgent. It’s music made not just to be heard, but to be felt — a soundtrack to your memories, your quiet mornings, your wanderings, your returns, and everything in between.

Fernweh: The Need to Travel reminds us that music can be a passport to places we’ve never physically been, or no longer can return to. It releases on November 7, 2025, on all major streaming platforms — a perfect companion for introspective autumn days or winter nights by the window.