Heiva I Tahiti: Festival of Life

David Fanshawe | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 7, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arc Music
• ASIN: B000001IH6
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,257 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > World Music > Pacific Islands > Tahiti

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy the best live performances!, August 23, 2000

By 

Brian (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heiva I Tahiti: Festival of Life (Audio CD)

Every July, singers, drummers and dancers from all of French Polynesia compete to be named 'the best'. This CD is a compilation of 2 years' competitions (1982 & 1986.)

I just returned from 2 weeks sailing French Polynesia, and have been buying CDs since I hit Papeete. This in one of the best (of the ~20 that I have heard.) There are a few dropouts and some clipping, but the miking and mixing are excellent. This is not one of those 'it must be poorly recorded to be authentic' recordings! Particularly pleasing are some of the polyphonic singing performances, which I've found on few recordings, yet are so traditional in the culture. There are a few rough performances, but most are quite polished.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible compilation of traditional Tahitian music, January 25, 2004

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Heiva I Tahiti: Festival of Life (Audio CD)

This is a compilation of a huge contest in Tahiti held every year. So there is a lot of variety on this cd, from pure percussion with the traditional slit drums, to singing. In particular, the "Himene Tarava Tamarii Pirae" is exciting, a large group of traditional singers with a very wonderful sound. If you have ever been to the Polynesian islands and want to recall the amazing music, this is a pleasing collection--is there really anything like Polynesian chanting and singing? Phenomenal.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to this CD and feel like you are there!, April 12, 2009

By 

Colleen "If it's not fun, what's the point?" (Rocky Mountains, Fly Over Country) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Heiva I Tahiti: Festival of Life (Audio CD)

I like to throw dinner parties serving food from other cultures, creating ambience with native music, clothing, and decorations, and offering entertainment that is native to those cultures whether it be to learn a dance, play an instrument, speak a few words or phrases, play games, or make something (crafts), etc. I LOVE THIS CD! It feels like you are on the beach in Tahiti during a real outdoor celebration. You can feel the excitement of the people in the background, but it doesn't diminish the sound quality of the instrumentals as you would expect in a live recording. The instrumentals are loud and clear. It just sounds like a party and that you have a front row seat. It is the perfect accompaniment to your next backyard (or the office) Polynesian luau-type party.