Here you can listen to Excerpts:
While you read the story below...
"...no words can adequately convey the depth and richness of this album...”
“Judging this album by ordinary standards is ridiculous."
Bill Binkelman, ZMR Music Review
Ancient, Precious Texts
Composer Steven Chesne spent a year unearthing ancient, precious peace invocations and prayers from all over the world: words of the oneness of mankind, spoken by:
Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Mohammed, the Sikhs, the Hindu, the Jews, the Cheyenne, the Kikuyu, and the Baha'i.
Studying with Experts
Under the guidance of scholars, and tribal and
religious leaders, Chesne studied the subtle
nuances that underlie these sacred peace
prayers. Chesne met with:
historians • translators
• monks • gurus
• rabbis • imams
• swamis •
linguists.
The Message
Deep research on pronunciation, emphasis, and phrasing was made, as well as a deep dive into the complexities of interpretation and translation.
Writing the Music
Each invocation or prayer is represented by its own song, using world traditions mixed with the colors of Chesne's unique style of contemporary composition.
When listening to each seperate song, the listener is not aware of it ... but each song is actually a part of a puzzle.
Pristine Recordings
The pieces were recorded with gifted, extraordinary vocalists from around the world.
But here's the big "twist"...
In the finale ("Nyansapo - the Wisdom Knot"), phrases from all of the traditions are interwoven together - one on top of another - in a web of blissful counterpoint - accompanied by the orchestra.
