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Entering the Axis Mundi by Bart Hawkins |
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- posted by Robin B. James on 2/17/2023 |
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Entering the Axis Mundi |
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Entering The Axis Mundi, by modular synthesizer composer and visionary artist Bart Hawkins, is inspired by the mystical source or center where all things exist at the same time. The "axis mundi" (also cosmic axis, world axis, world tree, world pillar, columna cerului) is a point described as the center of the world, the connection between earth and heaven, the gateway to Shambhala.
The first track is actually the end of a cycle, "A Joyous Return" (8:00), sparkling layers of tiny sounds swirling, an interlocking of the heavens with mountain peaks, with currents blending into a rich and colorful cloud. "To Ride A Pterodactyl" (10:20) is a real thrill. A Moog Theremin evokes this insane ride pulling up to 5gs, the listener can feel the throbbing as the beast runs, we ride and learn to hang on through all the surprises. For the track "An Owl's Dream Of Me" (7:44), Bart and the owl get along very well, the sound is playful and upbeat with a mystical framework. The sequencers guide the way. The album’s mood is easy and calm with constantly evolving patterns that emerge, laced with sound samples, a creaking door, seagulls, electronic laughing birds on top of caves or subterranean springs, which are probably openings to the underworld. Now consider the track "The Secret Of 33.3" (8:49), some numbers make patterns with infinity as the background, I hear shimmering patterns that revolve and open into unexpected territories, a symbolic and mathematical exploration of lots of activity in the higher frequency sounds, tinkling bells and ringing metal.
Entering the Axis Mundi is a musical place of connection between heavenly and the earthly realms, and you can enjoy this phenomenal cosmic experience in the comfort of your headphones with no worries of close encounters with huge ancient flying lizards, space travel, the dreams of owls, navigating the dark oceans over Atlantis, or calculating magic numbers. The feeling is of the connection between Heaven and Earth, this amazing album of electronic music provides access to the particular spot that one occupies standing at "the center of the world."
TRACKS
1 A Joyous Return 08:00
2 To Ride A Pterodactyl 10:20
3 Race To Cosmos Redshift 7 Galaxy 07:24
4 Parisa And Miriam 06:27
5 An Owl's Dream Of Me 07:44
6 Entering The Axis Mundi 07:13
7 River Boat To Atlantis 08:17
8 The Secret Of 33.3 08:49
9 Blessed Under Your Feet 08:09
https://spottedpeccary.com/shop/entering-the-axis-mundi/ |
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Rating: Excellent |
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Whispers From Earth by Ann Licater |
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- posted by Robin James on 11/23/2022 |
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Walking in Nature |
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Ann Licater is an award-winning recording artist, world flutist, favoring wood, silver, and clay flutes, as well as a producer and composer. She created and facilitates “Flute for the Soul” workshops where she plays Native American and world flutes as tools for personal discovery. Ann merges her intuition and traditional music background to create beautiful original melodies and provide an inspiring artful, sonic journey that is perfect for mindfulness practices, meditation and well-being. Also recommended for yoga, spa, healing arts, creativity, study, sleep, and overall stress reduction. Licater loves to create music that takes listeners on an inner journey.
On her six albums, Following the Call (2007), Doorway to a Dream (2010), Invitation from Within (), Beyond the Waves (), Quiet Spaces: Flute Meditations for Mindfulness and Relaxation (2018), and Whispers from Earth (2022), as in her healing concerts, Ann’s unique approach merges her intuition, spiritual perspective and traditional music background. Her love of wood and clay flutes led her to study with master flutist R. Carlos Nakai (Navajo-Ute) complementing her years of classical flute training at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Whispers from Earth is a meditative album with soft, deeply reflective solo and duet compositions, featuring clay, wood and classical flutes, fluttering and glowing, with a pure and living sound, imagine looking up at the sky and specifically reaching out, possibly silently and alone, maybe with a campfire. Perhaps the earliest signals from Earth came about as a form of whispered prayers.
The first track is the title track, "Whispers from Earth" (4:22), which opens with a deep dry celestial electronics, accompanied by a flute. The sound is secure, with a warm feeling, drawing a celestial glow in from the distance. "Echoes from a Glass Pond" (3:26) is a solo instrument, multi tracked. A tremolo call and return reverberating across the restful expanse of the reflective water. The pace is perfectly slow and relaxing. "Peaceful Prayer" (3:21) is for a solo spirit, the light flickers and incandescence sustains, the quiet slowly reaches the spirit. A piano joins the Gaelic bird spirits, "Luminous Morning" (4:25). The track "Red Cedar Calling" (2:42) stands alone signaling, the cedar spirits are signifying. "Star Stream Dreamer" (6:17), brings an accompanied silver flute, warm flowing breath and weaving patterns, with melodic percussion.
Imagine that the water is perfectly still, the music is essentially calling from the water, "Mirror Lake Reflection" (3:05). "Initiation (Awakening)" (2:59), solo multi tracked splendor, a mysterious double tone summoning the community, calling in new spirits. Track 9, "Silver Soliloquy" (3:46) is entirely solo, playing in a huge reflective chamber, the sound is inside and above, very mindful and present. "Forest Moon Rising" (3:02) tonight calling so clearly, solo classical flute. "Redwood Memories" (3:18), where are they now? Calling low and the voice is dry, a solo wood flute multi tracked. The final track is "Following the Call (Horizons)" (4:07), somewhere a signal is going out into the universe, calling us and we hear it, we consider the possibilities of going further, joined by friends.
Ann Licater created and facilitates “Flute for the Soul” workshops where she plays Native American and world flutes as tools for personal discovery. Ann’s unique approach merges her intuition, spiritual perspective and traditional music background. Her love of wood and clay flutes led her to study with master flutist R. Carlos Nakai (Navajo-Ute) complementing her years of classical flute training at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On her six albums, Following the Call, Doorway to a Dream, Invitation from Within, Beyond the Waves, Quiet Spaces: Flute Meditations for Mindfulness and Relaxation and now Whispers from Earth, as in her healing concerts, Ann’s unique approach merges her intuition, spiritual perspective and traditional music background. Her love of wood and clay flutes led her to study with master flutist R. Carlos Nakai (Navajo-Ute) complementing her years of classical flute training at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis.
Track Listing:
1. Whispers from Earth
2. Echoes from a Glass Pond
3. Peaceful Prayer
4. Luminous Morning
5. Red Cedar Calling
6. Star Stream Dreamer
7. Mirror Lake Reflection
8. Initiation (Awakening)
9. Silver Soliloquy
10. Forest Moon Rising
11. Redwood Memories
12. Following the Call (Horizons)
https://www.fluteforthesoul.com/
https://annlicater.hearnow.com/
https://music.apple.com/us/album/whispers-from-earth/1655210146
https://annlicater.bandcamp.com/
https://linktr.ee/annlicater
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Rating: Excellent |
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Liszt: Rhapsodies, Etudes & Transcriptions by Sophia Agranovich |
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- posted by Steve Sheppard on 11/6/2022 |
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A formidable collection of great works |
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Sophia Agranovich is still basking in the success of her last major hit Celebrating Beethoven many months after its release, whilst its chart position may be waning, her influence over the world of piano and classical music is growing exponentially, and now with the release of a brand new album entitled Franz Liszt Rhapsodies, Etudes and Transcriptions, things have never looked brighter for the musician.
Franz Liszt Rhapsodies, Etudes and Transcriptions is a wonderfully strong and fluent album, and the opening piece is one of the most colourful yet impassioned performance pieces ever, in Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6 in D-flat Major. The intensity here is palpable; this was of course the sixth work of the 19 Hungarian Rhapsodies composed by Franz Liszt, the steady bass line and the fast moving melody is a real treat with which to start this voyage of classical delights with.
Our next piece is the creatively performed Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A Minor, an arrangement with a colourful Hungarian Folk ethic within its realms of wonderment. Agranovich presents this so stylishly, and her performance has an artistic flourish that enhances this early romantic offering with such a crafted and intelligent enactment, this is without doubt a piece that contains a truly engaging musical narrative for all to enjoy.
Our journey finds us at the doorstep of the following piece entitled Ständchen (Serenade), and is without a shadow of a doubt the most heartfelt and emotive pieces from this new album. Agranovich brings this mood and passion into her moving performance; this once poem of yearning is textured perfectly by the artist.
Erlkönig (Elf King) would be one of my personal favourites off the album, Agranovich creates a mood so mysterious and deep that one just literally has to follow her bright burning lights of a passionate performance. Schubert originally composed this piece back in 1815, and Liszt would arrange this for solo piano, while one of my favoured composers in Hector Berlioz would later manifest this as well as an orchestrated composition, and this tale of a boy being pursued by a supernatural being lives on within the music forever.
As we move into the deeper pools of our musical river, we come across one of the most attractive and artistic tapestries of tone and timbre and called, Die Forelle (The Trout). Originally composed by Schubert in 1817, this clever composition tells the tale of pursuit, capture and morality. Agranovich gifts us a textured and persuasive performance, one that takes us to the very clear mirrored pools of the home of the trout itself, in a presentation that is simply breath-taking and sublimely intelligent.
So we find ourselves knocking on the portal to our penultimate piece off the release, it is Transcendental Étude Ricordanza in A flat Major. This has to be one of the best performances by the pianist; the composition demands a level of sensitivity and delicate finger work. Some would regard this as long form, but the actual term is Rondo form, with a relatively brief recurring principle theme in between lengthy episodes. Here we see Agranovich rising to her pinnacle on this dream like presentation.
Our concluding arrangement is sheer genius; it is a performance that is golden in texture and iron clad in structure and presentation, on Transcendental Étude Mazeppa in D minor. Rated to be one of the hardest Études to execute, and based upon a poem by Victor Hugo, Agranovich pulls off a masterful accomplishment and a simply majestic concluding achievement, one with great speed and endurance and sublime commanding finger movements.
Franz Liszt Rhapsodies, Etudes and Transcriptions by Sophia Agranovich is a recital that you would willingly buy tickets to watch, it is a formidable collection of great works performed by an artist who has a sublime sense of technical skill, and also the creative and artistic intelligence to make it happen, one so magical that it brings to the world a recital of such class and colour, it also opens the world of classical music up, and makes it accessible to anyone.
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Rating: Excellent |
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