Customer Reviews

Maori Songs

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off - there is NO and I repeat NO OTHER SINGER in this world who could make those songs sound so emotional and beautiful. The love Kiri has for these songs comes through so clearly, it's her best album EVER for emotional imput! I started off, of course, with the first track, Hine e Hine. I felt quite tearful because of the way Kiri expresses herself, then I smiled my way through the battle songs (Tarakihi is magic!) and once I got to track Hoea Ra I was crying softly, but once Matangi arrived I really lost it! I was just crying my heart out, because it touched my soul so much. She was completley indescribable. I don't even know how to describe the whole album, let alone just Kiri! The Maori Singers are just great. Even after track 5, I thought there couldn't be much more magic on this CD, that would be too perfect, but I was wrong! A combination of crying, smiling and beating along with the war songs, until the inevitable happened - I reached Pokerekereana :) The native birds singing at the beginning of the song was beautiful enough (we have those birds in our back yard!) but then in come the Maori male singers, then Kiri. It's progressing along with all of them singing away and then I LOVE how all of a sudden, it all goes quiet, and Kiri, more emotional than ever, sings her final, gorgeous line, 'Te aroha e.....' and her voice trails off. It's such an amazing way to end an amazing album! I was just stunned. As a New Zealander, I felt SO proud that this gorgeous singer, and her album, are from the same country as me! I sat there for about ten minutes doing nothing other than staring into space and thinking how incredible, amazing, BEAUTIFUL the whole album was! Arguably Kiri's best album - a definite 5 stars! B U Y I T !

I've lived in Hawaii my entire life, so Polynesian music has a special effect on me--it stirs my "island spirit" (though I myself do not have Polynesian blood). I am also an opera singer (I hope)! When I first heard this CD, and and the first singer began, I thought, "Hey, where's Dame Kiri? " As you may have guessed, it was she who was singing! The stunningly beautiful soprano isn't singing in the manner of her great Mozart or Strauss performances, but still keeps her musicality and love of singing. Some of the electronic instrumentation may seem overwhelming, but it doesn't serve as the backbone of this album; what does is the singing of Dame Kiri and the highly talented Maori choir (hold onto your hats when they burst into good old fashioned Maori "shout-singing"! YEE-HA! ). I even liked the packaging. Maori spirit was definately soaring during the creation of "Kiri: Maori Songs." There's a good mixture of slow songs, fast songs, and slow-fast or fast-slow songs. Linear notes are nicely informational. I really love this album! I'm sure it will leave you feeling good, too!

This is an album for Kiri's homeland. It is quintessential Kiri, quintessential Maori, with the Maori flavour of her voice shown to its best advantage. Kiri is performing the melodies she grew up with, the ones we all grew up with if we lived in NZ. This is a wonderful album that we have been waiting for Kiri to do for decades. These are some of the songs she sings when she comes home, the ones we wait to hear. Those who say the opera lovers will be disappointed just don't get it! That's not who Kiri recorded it for!

Ignore the couple of naysayers here. Especially the one who carps about Dame Kiri's "pronounciation". Yes, in complaining about her diction he misspells "pronunciation" not once, but twice.

Anyway, this is a lovely CD. I don't know much about Maori songs, but I know a thing or two about beautiful singing, and that is available in abundance here.

Some of what Dame Kiri does here is so subtle that the beauty of it slips by almost unnoticed.

Quite nice.

Although many new zealanders have long expressed pride in Kiri's achievements abroad I daresay much of the subtleties and nuances of opera have usually gone over their heads. It is a demanding profession to say the least. Now in the twilight of her career Kiri has chosen to cut an album of maori folk songs as a personal tribute to her homeland and possibly a reminder to all that she has not forgotten her roots. It might also put paid to the constant criticism in the past that she has only paid lip service to maoritanga. Her only known repertoire until now were the two lullabies, Pokare kare ana & E Hine e. Both having being done to death in recording studio and on stage. Opera buffs may be disappointed in that there is no Mozart or Verdi on show here but many fans of maori folk music will not. Many of the songs included cover a wide range of human emotions, of love grief death heartbreak happiness and the natural world. One of the most poignant to me was the ballad Hoea Ra. Sung with the backing of well known kiwi artists such as Mahinrangi Tocker & Mahia Blackmore, Kiri with her trained octaves does not overwhelm her fellow artists but blends in with them effortlessly and most effectively as one and as a chorus. It was difficult not to shed a few tears. For whatever reason she has chosen to cut such an album at this time it is long overdue. It is perhaps not ironic that despite the downturns in her personal life she should produce some of her most sentimental work to date. I recommend this album to all non-new zealanders as a cultural work done by one of our most famous artists now in the twilight of her career, performed at her sentimental best. You will not be disappointed. We can only wish her well as she moves on to a graceful and well deserved retirement. Haere ra.

I only just ordered this CD a few days ago, but have been listening to it in it's entirety on Rhapsody for a few weeks now. I've reached the point where I must hear it on an almost daily basis. I've been a fan of Kiri's from a distance for some time, now, owning only two of her previous CDs. This one, however, knocked me off my feet. The emotion and feeling of the songs, and Kiri's interpretation of them, is unbelieveable. I'm hooked.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is extraordinary in this album. "Maori Songs" contains an exquisite variety of Maori music based on the facinating customs and beliefs of the Maori people. Kiri, a Maori herself, explores her culture and gives us an ultimate gift of happiness, spirituality, hope, and fulfilment through her interpretation of these songs. What an angelic voice! What an outstanding CD!

Hey, who says that famous opera singers should ONLY sing operaand nothing else? Dame Kiri and her crew are great! Just because it ain't DonGiovanni (i.e. opera) doesn't mean you have to deride it. I am a very loyal amazon customer, and I am very glad I got this CD.

I own this cd. It is wonderful. Love all the songs. What a beautiful voice Kiri Te Kanawa has. The first time I ever heard her sing, I was spellbound. Couldn't believe the voice coming out of her . Wonderful music and a wonderful singer.

This is easily the best of Kiri's recordings. Kiri's gorgeous voice shines again in this album, but there is something new here. Although I cannot fault Kiri's technique or the beauty of her instrument, she often offers a somewhat superficial interpretation of the music. Not so in this case. Kiri offers beautiful, often emotional, interpretation in this recording. The music itself is stirring and the Maori group is fantastic. Kiri has done numerous "cross-over" recordings in her day as an opera singer, but this is the best. Though this is not operatic in any way (except perhaps the technique Kiri brings to the music) it is highly enjoyable and not a disappointment at all, even to the opera enthusiast! This album appeals to a wide audience. I strongly recommend it!