Adiemus Iv-The Eternal Knot

Karl Jenkins, Adiemus | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 22, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note
• ASIN: B00004WC6I
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,306 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When British composer Karl Jenkins launched Adiemus with the Songs of Sanctuary album in 1995, it was a fresh and exhilarating take on global music. Jenkins used choral vocals similar to Enya's, but spiked with a language of the imagination (merging African and Latin phonemes) and stoked by Jenkins's pastoral arrangements. Never wholly original--Lisa Gerrard and Elizabeth Fraser had already worked out fantasy vocal designs and the 1960s African mass "Missa Luba" effected a similar choral/African/Latin sound--Adiemus nevertheless found a new take on English composers' penchant for choirs. However, after six years and four albums mining this vein, Jenkins's sound rings more hollow with each recording.

The Eternal Knot is drawn from Jenkins's soundtrack to a BBC documentary called The Celts. You might recall that Enya also evolved her sound in the late 1980s doing a soundtrack for another documentary called The Celts. Taking his titles from the Celtic legends that populate the documentary, Jenkins orchestrates cinematic landscapes full of swelling crescendos and dynamic cadences. Less oppressive than the heavily orchestrated Adiemus II, The Eternal Knot still wears thin. He casts Miriam Stockley's voice into a boys-choir register, turning her staccato phonemes into incessant prattle. But when she's in her warmer middle range, her layered voice is enveloping. Despite the theme of the album, Celtic music is only used as an occasional touchstone, with uilleann piper Davy Spillane, a few bodhran-style percussion grooves, and harpist Catrin Finch providing some relief from Jenkins's string-laden classical pretensions. --John Diliberto

Product Description

Adiemus Iv-The Eternal Knot by Adiemus

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE ETERNAL KNOT - DIFFERENT BUT NEVERTHELESS ENJOYABLE, January 29, 2001

By 

"nrp4ever" (phoenix, az United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adiemus Iv-The Eternal Knot (Audio CD)

When I first heard Adiemus "The Eternal Knot" I was a bit taken back by the Celtic feel to the album only because I didn't expect it. However, "The Eternal Knot' feels like a return to Adiemus "Songs of Sanctuary". The raw tribal feeling has returned only with a Celtic twist. There is still a hint of a classical influence to Eternal Knot but it is not overwhelming.

To put it simply I love Adiemus and this album was very enjoyable.

Track One, CU CHULLAIN, is very energetic. It reminds me of "In Caelum Fero" it has that same drive and power behind the music and vocals used. My personal favorites are track 5 "KING OF THE SACRED GROVE", tarck 4 "THE WOOING OF ETAIN". My favorite track however on Eternal Knot would have to be track 11 "CERIDWENS CURSE", This song is very different, even for Adiemus. What makes CERIDWENS CURSE exceptional is the accoustic guitar used during what appears to be the chorus combine that with the singers of Adiemus and we have a upbeat and delightfully wicked song.

You either love or hate Adiemus and The Eternal Knot is no exception.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The most reluctant 3-star review I'll probably ever give!, February 9, 2003

By 

"absaraka" (Pikesville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adiemus Iv-The Eternal Knot (Audio CD)

First things first: I am a HUGE fan of Adiemus (own all their albums), Miriam Stockley, and Karl Jenkins. I'd been following the buildup to this album's release, and when I first read it was going to be a soundtrack, I cringed. "Adiemus? Doing a SOUNDTRACK?" I braced for the worst.

It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be, but it is FAR below earlier Adiemus albums. It starts out all right: "Cu Chullain" is a VERY good piece throughout, and comes close to being worth the price of admission all by itself. The rest of it, however...

The title cut has a very grating, over-loud, fortissimo section toward the end that does not work for me. "Palace of the Crystal Bridge" is admittedly fun, but it doesn't hold up to repeated listenings: I used to love it, but now I usually skip it. "The Dagda" has a KILLER intro, but it wears out its welcome after almost eight minutes.

Is this a *bad* album? Not at all! In fact, if you haven't heard any of Adiemus's albums before, you might want to give this one a listen, knowing that the rest are even better. It's not horrible by any stretch of the imagination, it's just not up to Karl's stellar efforts on earlier Adiemus albums.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adiemus has become the voice of the Celts!, March 23, 2001

By 

Callie "chroi" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Adiemus Iv-The Eternal Knot (Audio CD)

About a year ago I got "Songs of Sanctuary", which I found to be one of the most beautiful albums I've heard, but this new album by Adiemus is even better. Like their first album, this album has well organized orchestrations, clear vocals by Miriam Stockley, powerful percussion, harmonic recorders, and music in a secret, chanting language. But this album also includes Celtic themes and accompiant. Davy Spillane plays uillean pipes and sometimes the music includes accordian and harp. The songs all relate to mythology and religion of Ireland and Wales. The melody and harmony came together so well and the whole atmosphere and mood is very calm and highly spirited. Some of my favorites include "Cu Chullain", "The Dagda", and "Hermit of the Rock". Many people have compared this album to Enya's "The Celts", and don't find too much of a difference between the two. Both albums have Celtic themes about heroes, saints, and mythological places. They may be different in style, but they are very much the same in meaning. So I don't see why people should be so critical of this album. It's just as melodiac as their other albums, but this album contains more meaning. I've always loved Karl Jenkins' way of blending classical and African music, and now I think he has done a fine job in combining these styles with Celtic music.