Customer Reviews

Vox de Nube (Voice from the Cloud)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Noirin Ni Riain's voice should be declared an Irish national treasure. Her gorgeous soprano voice is the perfect vehicle to interpret these majestic Latin, Celtic and English chants, which were recorded in Ireland's ancient Glenstal Abbey. Her stunning opening piece, the "Magnificant Cum Alleluia" gives me chills each time I hear it, and her version of Hildegarde Von Bingen's "Viridissima Virga" ranks as one of the best. If you've never heard this incredible voice, treat yourself to one of her CDs.

Norin Ni Riain has a luminous voice,yes,angelic is an appropriate description. Here with her faithful companions, the monks of Glenstal abbey compliment each other seamlessly through the tracks.the track opens with a brilliant magnificat,the Kyrie is quite moving,the song for Mary Magdalen is astonishing. The depths of this recording are authentic spirituality. The Reviewer who ojected to what they supposed to be "bible readings" mystifies me. What on earth do they think trappist monks would be singing about?this is profound religious music,with a deep,clear Irish touch.Norin Ni Riain is a pleasure, a gift,a treasure.

There are voices that crack glass. That's impressive, always. Noirin Ni Riain has a voice that stops you in your tracks and fills your eyes with tears and makes all that is holy to you as real as your hand. If you don't believe that, listen to ten seconds of "Magnificat cum alleluia" and see if you don't suddenly feel the impulse to drop to your knees.

Noirin Ni Riain --- in America, she'd be Noreen O'Ryan --- is not much known outside Ireland. There's a reason. As a child, she learned 1,000 traditional Irish songs in a style that's hundreds of years old. She made her first recordings with the choir of Benedictine monks at the Glenstal Abbey in Limerick, Ireland in 1979. The monks were, in essence, her record company. A very non-commercial company --- the monks filled orders but did not engage in the worldly practice of promotion.

Noirin Ni Riain was an Irish national treasure for a decade. (Sinéad O'Connor called her "my biggest influence and heroine in music.") Then she began performing outside of Ireland, often in support of peace groups. She's learned to sing the sacred music of India in Hindi and to play Indian instruments. In 2003, she earned a PhD. in theology from the University of Limerick. Her thesis subject: "Theosony," a theology she devised that marries listening to Spirit.

An Irish critic, Brendan Kennelly, nails her appeal: "Noirin Ni Riain's special magic springs from her ability to meditate coherently on the nature and consequences of her own passion for music, song and chant. She is a very conscious artist who has a direct, articulate link with her unconscious powers. The beautiful clarity of her singing and thinking is born of her intrepid ability to confront and express the complexity of her dreams, instincts, aspirations and longings. I believe that is why her genius, at once contained and soaring, creates in the listener's heart an atmosphere of serenity and calm, a peace that is all the more profound and convincing for being voiced in a world of horror, greed and compulsive destruction..."

I don't understand the words she sings. But I don't need to use the liner notes to know what they say. Her music comes across time, from a place out of time. Her voice is of this earth, and not. (The title of the CD means "voice from a cloud.") There is no arguing with it --- this music is truth, beyond judgment. And this is the most wonderful thing about it: There's no negativity. Noirin Ni Riain may knock you to the floor, but she will never fail to lift your heart to the heavens.

But I don't want to get all heavy about Noirin Ni Riain's gifts. Of course this CD will have special appeal to those who are hurt and lost and alone and feeling all of that every minute of the day. But this music can also be played for enjoyment --- in "Saint Brigid's Prayer," she sings: "I'd like to give a lake of beer to God/ I'd love the Heavenly Host/ to be tippling there/ For all eternity." So much for stuffy "church" music! (Consumer warning: There are some prayers spoken at one point. But they're not long, and they don't fatally break the mood.)

I wish I could give this CD to everyone in the world.

Noirin Ni Riain has a beautiful voice, but I've found some of the other albums a bit too monotonous. This album is thoroughly beautiful--AND interesting. Interspersed with the music are two (I think) readings of unusual and wonderful poem-prayers that are both humorous and compassionate. All in all though, the album is tremendously meditative. I came across this when buying music to accompany a Labyrinth walk (a walking meditation) and now I need a copy for myself!

Noirin Ni Riain's music here, together with the monks of Glenstal Abbey, is
nothing less than equisite - and haunting. A superb example of the ability of the arts, including music of course, to mediate religious experience. (And for those who find the word "religious" to be impolitesse - "spiritual" experience.)

It is, of course, the music of worship - of monasteries ancient, of poetic longings and deepest enchantment with God.

To the reviewer who complained of the distraction of the inclusion of some spoken word - the complaint is astonishing - "like reading from the Bible!"
Well . . . as another reviewer wrote, what would one expect from Christian music of a worship nature? Prayer and scripture. Poetic prayer. Ancient prayers of great beauty. For the Irish, the spoken word, prayer and poetry are themselves musical reckonings.

I hope no one is dissuaded by a comment like that that simply arises from either misconceptions or simply ignorance of the form.

Noirin Ni Riain's voice is often competing with the instrument that she is playing at the time, e.g. harmonium, and this is sometimes to the detriment of audibility.
She is often overwhelmed. When you can hear her, however, the singing is sublime. And the monks are as clear as monks should be. (Almost said "clear as a bell.")

The monks of Glenstal Abbey are Benedictines, not Trappists.

This is one of my favorites. It seems to be a combination of Celtic music and medieval chant. Some of the chant/songs (I think of most of these as songs rather than chant in the Gregorian sense). Some of these are sung in Latin, some in Gaelic, led by glorious soprano, Noirin Ni Riain, with backup from the monks of Glenestal Abby.

The first piece, Magnificat cum Alleluia, is an intensely joyful and uplifting piece (lyrics are the Latin version of the Bible passage where Mary proclaims that all the world will call her blessed, probably taken from the St. Jerome translation into Latin.) It is my favorite on the whole CD. My second favorite, "The Beatitudes," taken from Eastern Christian musical tradition, is a positive sing-along.
There were two poems on the album, not sung, simply recited. I didn't care for either these, but there are only two of these out of 20 cuts, and the other 18 are magnificent.

I was looking to replace my old, very well worn copy of this wonderful CD and saw that it is no longer in press. Too bad! It has a fabulous and unusual combination of reverence and humor. The chanting is excellent, the acoustics enhance the performance greatly, and the choice of music shows that Gregorian and Celtic chants can be fun as well as relaxing. Highly recommend this great CD!

Okay People! I love ecclestiastical music (I found that word in the merriam webster web dictionary! ;) Church music to you and me!!)but the voices and the collection on this CD is just pLAin MAGNIFICIENT! It actually moved me to tears.....and I never cry..... even when Bambi's mother died!
Of noteworthy interest is 'Magnificat...' the Pater Noster, and ' We venerate Thy Cross....'
So.....GET IT, GET IT, GET IT!

This is an absolutely beautiful cd, wonderful for background music or to just sit and meditate to. The only drawback I found was that there are a couple of tracks on which there is a person speaking as if they are reading out of the Bible! I bought this cd for music, not Christian sermons. I would highly recommend it, but just be aware of those disconcerting tracks.