Customer Reviews

Prayer for the Wild Things

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

 

 

This is, first and foremost, a five-year celebration of having "Prayer for the Wild Things" in my personal music library. I discovered this remarkable album quite by accident; it was brought to my attention in late January, 1995. It has been a constant companion ever since.

Before then, I had never listened to any of Paul Winter's music, believing that the critics and music reviewers were correct in categorizing his output under the New Age rubric. New Age music held no interest for me; by the mid 80s, a full decade before discovering this album, I had by then my fill of "feel-good noodlings." How wrong one can be in taking these critics and reviewers at their word regarding such classification!

"Prayer for the Wild Things" is serious music with a purpose, something very different from one's notion of New Age music. Coming from the classical side of music, I was immediately struck by how sections of "Prayer" brought to mind some of the best of mystical minimalism, and, as well, Paul Winter's skill in setting out an extended suite that thoroughly, and captivatingly, integrates his own musical ideas with native American music and the musics of various fauna found in the Northern Rockies.

This is a spell-weaving album, using an instrumental palette not likely found anywhere else, performed by prodigiously talented musicians. (For just one idea of the talent in this group, I recommend that you listen to John Clark's staggering French horn work in "Elk Horns.")

The final section ("Overture to a New Day") of three tracks reprises the themes set out earlier. While the album as a whole represents virtuosic musicianship of the highest order, this reprise is clearly the high point. "Night Into Dawn" collects the various earlier themes in a highly improvisational way, and can be listened to repeatedly, with fresh discoveries at each hearing. (With the remarkable clarity of the recording, each instrumental line in this reprise can be followed with ease.) "Dance of All Beings" is a reprise of "Round Dance," a Native American chant. When this theme returns in "Dance of All Beings," Paul Winter finds a way, as he does so often, to weave in his unique touch with it in a way that can only be described as remarkable.

This may well be the best introduction to Paul Winter's work for classical music lovers. If you react to it as I did, you will quickly rush to obtain more of his work, and be continually amazed at his range, his musical skill, and his total commitment to the integration of his personal style with the musics of nature and wildlife. After five years with this constant friend of mine, I still find myself muttering to myself, "Mr. Winter, I don't know how you manage to weave this spell!"

Enthusiastically recommended without reservation!

Bob Zeidler

A fabulous, mystical, visionary shamanic interpretation of Rocky Mountain National Park with added inspiration from the painting by Bev Doolittle, Prayer for the Wild Things. Haunting natural, live creature calls backed by Paul Winter's inimitable music. Two unforgettable, moving tracks feature The Gathering of All Nations Native American chants... while the rest of the CD is purely instrumental and nature of the highest order. I cannot recommend it enough. It may change your life forever. Follow the Buffalo, answer the Elk, soar with Eagle.

Here's another CD that I expected to hate, but Paul Winter won me over once again with a delightful recording. It is tempting to knock his mixing of wilderness sounds and music as a gimmick, but the fact is that with Paul Winter, they never sound like a gimmick. The man believes in what he is doing, and his sincerity wins over jaded old listeners like me. This truly is a musical celebration of the Northern Rockies, and I thank Paul Winter and musicians and engineers for letting me sit in my comfortable chair and take such a journey.

No, I don't especially care for the painting that this CD promotes, and the New Age ambience of it all turns me off, but I find the end result musically captivating, and the audiophile in me marvels at the masterly blending of natural and synthetic sounds that make this CD a sonic showpiece. And let me say once again that if you ever get a chance to see Paul Winter perform live, by all means, do so. You'll be treated to a most rewarding evening.