Customer Reviews

The Mask and Mirror (CD and bonus DVD)

5 star:		(138)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The Mask and Mirror is perhaps Loreena McKennitt's most exotic collection of songs. The arrangements enclose a gamut of conventional Celtic instruments as well as Middle Eastern, Indian, and ancient flavors of the Mediterranean Sea. Although the Celtic element is definitely reduced here, it is in many ways the most instrumentally interesting of all her albums. Plus, her voice is stunning. Her technique is astonishing, and the actual sound of her voice is heavenly.

As soon as you press Play and hear the hypnotizing notes opening "The Mystic's Dream," your world melts away to be replaced by the images summoned forth by McKennitt's lush, evocative music. Her own gorgeous, superhuman voice opens, singing wordless notes that are bound to give you chills. Drawing closer to the song's first verse, a ghostly male choir layers McKennitt's voice producing a spellbinding harmony effect. The production is just stunning, and you can see it this early in the album...all mystical echoes and visceral instruments and clarity. McKennitt's voice is yearning and haunting, but beautiful all the same. "The Bonny Swans" is a traditional lyric turned into a peppy tune with cool call-and-response between the electric guitar and fiddle. This song...well, it boogies! Often, McKennitt's music is emotionally heavy and somber, so it's nice that this song is surprisingly fun.

"The Two Trees," preceded by a lovely pipe intro (which is unfortunately short), is affixed to gorgeous, flowing piano chords that glide upon a layer of solemn strings. McKennitt set Yeats' poem to music with remarkable grace and acuity for the nature of the words, here...it's absolutely wonderful. Her vocal melodies are magical the way they heighten the power of the poetry in some ineffable manner. And even though the song is more than nine minutes, I really wish it'd last longer, because it's so beautiful.

The ethnic touches abound on "Marrakesh Night Market," where the instruments and lyrics paint a picture so vivid it's impossible not to see the marketplace. The dashing, lyricless but not vocal-less "Santiago" at once raises a smile with its sprightly folk-dance drive; but the ethnic touches cause one to marvel at McKennitt's ingenuity as a composer. There's some wonderful, spirited fiddle solos on this song. "The Dark Night of the Soul," despite the ominous title, is a romantic song that, as McKennitt explains is the excellent CD booklet (which features bits of journal entries), it's actually a metaphorical song about a man's love for his god. The chorus is very beautiful. "Prospero's Speech" is too short...kind of a missed opportunity, but it's good while it lasts.

This review was kind of random in terms of my train of thought and its structure, but I hope I've told you what you want to know (i.e. whether or not this is good stuff). Or just take my word for it when I say the album possesses an exquisite beauty that needs to be heard to be appreciated. Forget reading my fruitless attempts to convey the wondrous quality of these songs...just listen for yourself. I'm sure you'll be impressed.

This is my favorite Loreena Mckennitt album. Although, if pressed, I'm not sure I can provide a convincing explanation of my reasons. Possibly it is because the singer, who already had a loyal and following as a singer in the British folk traditions, shows a surprising flair for experiencing other musical styles and deftly making them her own. Spanish, North African, Islamic, and Judaic come to her and are transformed into even larger concepts and then made into intimate friends.

Another factor may be the great intelligence of her choices. McKennitt's own lyrics on this album demonstrate a more than passing familiarity with the Gnostic and mystical and a very clear vision of how to express these ideas in melodic terms. She also is noted for adapting lyrics from various poetic sources, drawing from a delightful spectrum of Writers. In this case, St. John of the Cross, Yeats, and Shakespeare. Each time, she captures something in the doing that most of us might miss in the reading.

Finally, of course, there is the musicality of her work. Whether they be rhythmic, pensive, or tender, the melodies and settings distinguish Mckennitt from the crowd. Her work is never simple or gimmicky. This, and a compelling, beautiful voice make The Mask and the Mirror a treat for these tired ears. Whether the album becomes your favorite as well is moot. No one would argue that it is one of her best.

"The Mask and the Mirror" by Loreena McKennitt was my first introduction to this fascinating artist who blends Celtic and Mid-Eastern traditional music into one excellent whole. Although some may find the juxtaposition startling (supposing that Ms. McKennitt is solely a Celtic artist, perhaps from her other albums "The Visit," "Elemental" and "Parallel Dreams"), others will soon recognize its merit.

This album, perhaps more than her others, is especially dancelike. Beginning with "The Mystic's Dream's" quick tempo, to the clogging beat of "The Bonny Swans," from the twirling "Marrakesh Night Market," to "Santiago's" seductive pace, one longs only for a veil and a sense of footwork. Intersperced are beautiful, yearning renderings, such as "The Dark Night of the Soul" and "Prospero's Speech" (her Shakespearean farewell).

Naturally, there are those, such as the poor unfortunate beneath me, who will not appreciate her work. But for those looking for excellence and mystery in their normal Celtic fare, consider adding Loreena McKennit to your list of favourite artists. So kick back, close your eyes, and allow your imagination to wander past the mask and through the mirror.

If nothing else, buy this solely for The Mystic's Dream. The Murmurs Dance has been her most successful song yet (it even broke mainstream), but this is by far my favorite song by her. It's just so mythical and haunting. Even after three years I can still listen to it and get a musical high. I especially like how the Victoria Scholars choir sings Gregorian style. The song throughout is darkly shrouded and mysterious, but with downtempo dance percussion. And as everyone else seems to think, The Bonny Swans is an incredible song. As in her own words... I am drawn to the harp motif and the essence of a fable in which a girl, drowned by her jealous sister, returns first as a swan and then is transformed into a harp... I personally think that the live version of this song is better - as it's much more lively - but either ways it's enjoyable nonetheless. Oh... and I absolutely relish when the guitar comes in. It's a pity that its part is so short...

The Dark Night Of The Soul is a carefully weaved love song with beautifully drawn lyrics...

Upon that misty night
In secrecy, beyond such mortal sight
Without a guide or light
Than that which burned so deeply in my heart - is the third track. Then comes the Middle Eastern Marrakesh Night Market with its dance driven drum beats and resounding fiddle playing. And another of my favorites by Loreena McKennitt, Full Circle, comes on next with its slow, religious feel... Santiago - much like the track prior to the one before - is also an uplifting piece of music with drums, cello, synthesizer, fiddle, bass, bouzouki, and countless other instruments (I also like the live version of this better)... The Two Trees is really the only Irish influenced/Celtic song on here with its introduction of Uilleann pipes. The rest is mainly piano and cello... And lastly the short but wonderous Prospero's Speech (derived from The Tempest) ends this astonishing CD with Shakespeare. The Mask and Mirror is all very poetic but this will leave you shaken to the core.

I strongly encourage you to buy this.

Loreena McKennitt's intention in making this splendid album was to explore, among many other things, the links between Celtic and Sufi cultures and mysticisms, the fusion of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim cultures in medieval Spain and North Africa, and the concealments and revelations of the self and of the divine. In doing this, she creates marvelous fusion of many different kinds of music, primarily Celtic and Middle Eastern, as well various kinds of chant. I fell in love with this CD on first hearing. Her instrumentation is often quite ingenious, using synthesizers as well as harps and more exotic instruments (oud, tabla, esraj, etc). Her melodies are instantly memorable and often hummable, and they stay with you for days. It is also very rare these days to have a musician who chooses for her lyrics texts of such depth - from her own physical and spiritual journeys to Irish folklore, Shakespeare, Yeats, and St John of the Cross. She has a beautiful, clear, sweet, folk soprano voice, breathy, expressive and haunting. The only problem I have with her is that I sometimes can't understand what she is saying and absolutely need the booklet in order to do so. Nevertheless, this is a minor flaw in a great artist. She brings as much care and depth to her documentation as she does to her music, explaining her influences, travels and considerable research concisely and passionately. The booklet is absolutely gorgeous,with sepia toned ancient maps and beautiful illustrations with influences ranging from the Unicorn Tapestries and Irish woodcuts to the Book of Hours and the Alhambra.

`The Mystic's Dream' makes a very impressive opening to the disc, mixing Moroccan and Indian rhythms and the Gregorian chant of a male choir - from the beginning, weaving the two cultural threads together. It is a song about being lost and finding one's way back through love - as McKennitt who was led back to her friends in the desert by their lamps. I think I might actually prefer the version that McKennitt sings on her live album, because there she actually SINGS it and here she just chants it, but this is still more than worth hearing and probably my favorite track on the disc.

`The Bonny Swans' illustrates the Irish legend of the young woman who is drowned by her older sister, then becomes a swan (the symbol of death). Her human bones and hair are further transformed into a harp, and finally in that form she confronts her murderer. One point confused me - at the beginning of the song she is a farmer's daughter with two sisters, and at the end a king's daughter with two brothers and a sister. Is this about reincarnation? The universality throughout time of such a story? At any rate, if there is any genuine inconsistency, it is the fault of the source material, not McKennitt.

`The Dark Night of The Soul' was intended by the Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross to be his love poem to to G-d, but as McKennitt says, it can represent human love as well as divine. The gorgeous refrain `Oh night, thou was my guide...', etc, is probably the most deeply moving moment on the album.

The title `The Mask and the Mirror' is explained in `Marrakesh Night Market'. By choosing either a mask or a mirror from `the man in the shadowing hood', you can look at yourself, another person, or `the face of your god'. Like `The Mystic's Dream' this is another piece splendidly evocative of distant, exotic lands - you really feel you're in Morocco.

`Full Circle' once again weaves the Celtic and Sufi threads together, comparing McKennitt's own spiritual yearnings as she watches a splendid Arabian desert sunrise to those of the men chanting in the mosques of Morocco and monks in Quebec, and the refrain is a stunning, yearning high vocalise.

I agree with McKennitt that 'Santiago' is `very Semitic in tone' (at least her version - I have not heard the original which she based it on). It sounds very much like a niggun - a wordless melody used by Jews in prayer to achieve states of ecstasy, and one that would be used by Sephardic (i.e Spanish, Moroccan, etc) Jews. The lilting, joyful melody makes one want to get up and dance.

`The Two Trees' is based on a Yeats poem exhorting one to look within oneself for the `holy tree'of goodness, and not the `bitter glass' (another mirror!) of cruelty and cynicism. Here McKennitt is joined by a small string orchestra and the famous classical cellist Ofra Harnoy (talk about luxury casting!). The actual song is preceded by a marvelous pipe introduction, `Ce he mise le ulaingt', splendidly played by its composer, Patrick Hutchinson.

The CD closes with a chant-like rendition of `Prospero's Speech' (that is, the finale of `The Tempest'- I believe somewhat cut), once again alluding to the performer/illusionist taking off his or her mask and leaving us to determine what is real, what is illusion, what is self, and what is divine.

`The Mask and the Mirror' is essential for anyone interested in any of the musical styles or literary references that McKennitt uses, or someone looking for a deeper and more moving experience than your average pop album. If you tend to sneer at and dismiss `new age' music, you might just change your mind. So far, apart from a few tracks I have heard on her live album, this is my first and only experience with Loreena McKennitt. It will not be my last.

Ms. McKennitt is probably the most talented of the new-age/world-music divas who became so popular in the 80s and 90s. And while she has produced a number of excellent albums during her career, The Mask and Mirror is almost certainly her best work to date. These eight songs strike an ideal balance between the pop music influences that weigh more heavily in her later work and the traditional Celtic roots of her early albums. Also, around the time this album was released she was just beginning to experiment with Middle Eastern tones and rhythms; the fusion between the Celtic stylings and the Middle Eastern instruments is wonderful, certainly the best she has achieved so far.

The Mask and Mirror is a brilliant mood piece. It doesn't fit neatly into a particular category or genre, but the melodies are so beautiful that this doesn't seem to matter one whit. There are some albums and some artists who manage to transcend traditional genres... Loreena McKennitt is one of these. The music roams the world but is at the same time both cosmopolitan and thoroughly unified. The variety of instruments is superb, with arrangements that are broad and poetic without ever feeling haphazard. Of course, the best instrument of all is Ms. McKennitt's voice, which soars above and sails through the instrumental arrangements of the songs like the aural embodiment of a visionary spiritual character straight out of her lyrics.

There's an evocative feel that permeats the music, hearkening back to somewhere in the middle of the 15th century. The songs are is in many ways extremely literate (or at least literary-- the focus of her influences is sometimes a little narrowly defined). Most people will be familiar with the Shakespeare passages in the last song, "Prospero's Speech." Much more unusual are the beautiful Yeats poem used in "The Two Trees" and also the quotes from the mystic St. John of the Cross's work used as lyrics for "The Dark Night of the Soul." In fact, there's a common mystic strain in all of these literary references, and the album makes a wonderfully appropriate soundtrack for readings in medieval poetry or mythology.

And finally, it's not often that the liner notes are as much fun as the music, but the snatches of diary and gorgeous illustrations in the (typically thick) notes that accompany the album are a delight... their pithy and eclectic character makes me suspect that Ms. McKennitt would make an excellent weblogger!

This is one of my first CD's of McKennitt's. I had heard of her before but never fully appreciated the enormous amounts of variety she incorporates in her music. Like each of her CD's (from what I understand) this one has a distinct musical flavour to it. Like Parallel Dreams which is distinctly traditional Irish/Celtic in flavour, The Mask and The Mirror leaves you with a distinct Eastern Mediteranean sound but still having a faintly Celtic aftertaste. You get the feeling of just visiting the Marrakesh Night Market after hearing the song. Though the beginning of the CD is very entertaining and uplifting in sound I find myself tuning out near the end. This may be just me but the mood becomes more slow by Full Circle, though this doesn't take away any of the beauty of this disk. As a sidenote I especially liked the journal entries found alongside the words in the CD case. It gave you a very personal feeling of having travelled with Ms. McKennitt. Overall I really enjoyed this CD which contains a great variety of music that is quite soothing and uplifting. Go out and buy it.

"A clouded dream on an earthly night/Hangs upon the crescent moon/A voiceless song in an ageless light/Sings at the coming dawn..."

Listening to a Loreena McKennit album is like being slowly enveloped in a dream of medieval castles, incense-heavy air, and distant exotic lands full of shadows and beauty. "The Mask and the Mirror" is a prime example of McKennit's hauntingly ye-olde music, with lush instrumentation and bittersweet vocals -- not to mention some truly lovely songs.

It starts with the haunting "Mystic's Dream," a love song that is soaked in a dreamlike atmosphere and the sound of monks chanting wordlessly in the background It's followed by the more upbeat but grisly ballad "The Bonny Swans," the vaguely erotic-sounding "The Dark Night of the Soul" is set to lots of floaty string melodies, and the dancey "Marrakesh Night Market" adds a peppy Middle-Eastern flavor to the album ("Would you like my mask/Would you like my mirror?... you can look at yourself, you can look at each other/you can look at the face, the face of your god!").

A more contemplative air enters the album in its second half -- "Full Circle" is a minimalist ballad that mourns and marvels at the sound of worship ("in your heart, in your soul, did you find peace there?") while "Santiago" is a sprightly Spanish-flavored instrumental with McKennit only making "la la" noises. She dips briefly into the upliftingly lovely "Cé Hé Mise Le Ulaingt?/The Two Trees," and ends on a suitably bittersweet note -- a somnolent recitation of "Prospero's Speech."

Loreena McKennit has a magical touch with music -- she can wrap you in velvety dreams, walk you through a candelit medieval cathedral, dance you through a spice-filled Middle-Eastern market and rock you to sleep in an ivy-filled ruin. "The Mask and the Mirror" does all these things and more, and it's honestly hard to find a single false note in the entire exquisite album.

It's also impossible to find a modern pop sensibility in the whole thing -- the music is a lush tapestry of lutes, drums, an aching sweep of violin, guitar, some truly beautiful harp, and a dark swathe of bittersweet piano in "Cé Hé Mise Le Ulaingt?/The Two Trees." While the songs can be upbeat -- such as "Santiago" and "The Bonny Swans" -- the overall atmosphere is pretty mellow and subdued. Sometimes it's redolent with spiritual intensity, and sometimes it's just sad.

Apparently her visits to Spain and Morocco flavored the lyrics for these songs, there's definitely Spanish, Celtic and Arabian atmosphere; in addition, the songs are grounded in some classic literature, derived from Shakespeare, Yeats, and St. John of the Cross. And her strong, sweetly rich voice always sounds slightly sad, as she drifts through lyrics filled with vivid, striking images ("A painting hangs on an ivy wall/Nestled in the emerrald moss... A clouded dream on an earthly night/Hangs upon the crescent moon").

"The Mask and the Mirror is a vibrant, almost painfully lovely album that drips with medieval-ish splendor and lots of Spanish/Celtic/Middle-Eastern beauty. Utterly haunting.

I have found myself popping this album into my CD player more than any other CD I've owned recently. I find this album to be a true masterpiece within the realm of Celtic musicians. Loreena places much care into the recording yet does it effortlessly. "The Mystic's Dream" and "Marrakesh Night Market" are two of my favorites. "Bonny Swans" is a classic, almost perfect! All of Loreena's music is crafted with superb effortlessness. Her music reflects innocence and the loss of it. She seems to intertwine wisdom with every recording, but this one is among the BEST along with "The Book of Secrets".

I would like to be able to claim that I have in fact been a fan of Loreena McKennitt right from the beginning of her long and illustrious career, but alas! The sad truth is that I only discovered her a few short years ago thanks to a friend who had her "The Visit" CD playing in his SUV when he picked me up for lunch. Needless to say, I was blown away by what I heard as we tooled down the snowy streets of Cambridge past the ivied halls of Harvard on our way to a local spaghetti place. Having already become a confirmed fan of Celtic music with Irish artists like Van Morrison and Clannad, I quickly bought all of her CDs, and as a result have come to admire her work a great deal, especially this album, "The Mask And The Mirror".

Her voice is hard to describe, other than to say it has a haunting, ethereal quality that is the perfect vehicle for her wide-ranging compositions and arrangements. It is hard to classify her work, because it does encompass quite arrange of different genres. It is safe to say that she draws from an amazingly rich store of different kinds of traditional music, and seems to breathe her won unifying force in delivering them in a manner that is at once both traditional and innovative. Thus, from the opening strains of "The Mystic's Dream" through the mystical treatment of "Dark Night Of The Soul" to the ending sounds of "Prospero's Speech", the work seems to thread itself together seamlessly, even though the sources for the individual songs is often quite different. The only way to properly appreciate her wondrous abilities is to experience them. Otherwise, I feel like the guy trying to convince his lady friend to take her first roller-coaster ride. You have to exp-lode down from the top of the edifice to understand the rush. So it is with our lady Loreena. Buy it and get ready for the rush!