Customer Reviews

River Dawn: Piano Meditations--music for relaxation, yoga, massage, healing

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

 

 

River Dawn is one of those extraordinary solo-piano albums that sing to my heart. The music is filled with a gentle, tranquil serenity that had me in tears within minutes of putting it on. I had tears of gratitude for the exquisite beauty with which Catherine Marie Charlton imbues her music and tears of joy that I had found such a precious gift for my heart. Indeed, even the hardest of hearts will begin to soften with the first notes.

Charlton composed and plays all the music on River Dawn. Although the album features nine tracks, it was produced without any breaks in the piano playing. The music forms a continuously renewed 60-minute musical landscape of such peace that it will send listeners into lengthy reverie. River Dawn will lend itself beautifully to various healing modalities, including massage, meditation, and yoga. If you are looking for a way to relax and renew, take a sojourn to River Dawn.

Catherine Marie Charlton created "River Dawn" specifically to be background music for meditation, relaxation, massage, and any number of other activities. When Ms Charlton and I spoke about doing a review, she suggested that I not actively listen to the CD, but to keep it in the background while in the process of doing something else. I know many, many people do this, but I can't. As a piano teacher and music journalist, I find it impossible to keep music in the background - I am compelled to listen to it. Be that as it may, I experienced "River Dawn" in the car, doing my best to not listen to it too carefully. It is an hour of solo piano music, one continuous track, that meanders and flows without much in the way of dynamics or musical surprises. When I focused on the music, it was kind of lackluster (as it is supposed to be!), but when I was able to keep it in the background, it was really very pleasant. Apparently, quite a few practitioners of the healing arts are finding this music very helpful in their work. It was an unusual listening experience for me, and is probably what Erik Satie and some of his peers referred to as "furniture music" during their own time. If you do massage or mediation or yoga, or would like a musical backdrop for your other daily activities, "River Dawn" could be a nice enhancement to the experience.

River Dawn has become my favorite CD to listen to when I want to sit, relax and explore my mind and feelings. I listen to it every night to unwind when I get home from work. On several occasions I have sat with friends and just listened to River Dawn, each one of us in a different world, yet held together by the music. When I close my eyes I not only hear the beautiful music but I also see it. Like the striations of different colored sandstone that harmonize to make the beautiful picture on the case cover, the notes float and flow together to form a beautiful picture in my mind and heart. The beauty of it is that the picture is different for each one of us. The one thing in common is that it makes us feel peaceful. Catherine Marie Charlton paints beautiful pictures with her piano....her canvas...our hearts.
For anyone who wants to relax and meditate or just simply have beautiful background music for reading I recommend River Dawn.

This album is 60 minutes of uninterrupted piano music, with no breaks! The music is very calming and soothing, and I use it regularly for my yoga practice. I bet folks would also love it for massage and meditation.

I have been scouring for music to use during healing imagery sessions. I wanted something quiet, clear and fresh. Music that could stand on its own but not overwhelm or bore. This album is perfect. It is lyrical, uncomplicated, and fills an hour without breaks in between. I also find myself listening to it at other times. With candlight, sets a calming mood.

If you like relaxing piano music, this is a WONDERFUL choice.
I love River Dawn; its tranquility and hypnotic qualities help reduce the many stresses in daily life. It is also a perfect accompaniment to a late afternoon nap!

There is a very "honest" quality to this recording; it feels as if Catherine Marie Charlton was playing live in the room with us.

River Dawn moves me. I often play it while working, while relaxing, while dining, and many other occasions. This disc is passionate, romantic, and soothing. This disc would fit nicely in anyone's collection....check it out.

I listen to this cd almost every day to wind down. It's very soothing and relaxing. Its various passages repeat yet it's never boring... I work in a pretty hectic and fast paced environment and this music allows me to quickly change pace and concentrate on the things that are important.

This is a sweet, quiet album, however, it doesn't quite work for a massage therapy or other bodywork sessions. While the music itself is not intrusive, there are occasional "bum" and off notes that filter in through the hour-long piece that can be distracting in a quiet bodywork session. While this would not be a problem if the music is just serving as background sound as you do other things, in a massage, a client's mind looks to the music for calm and focus. For many, music is an essential component of the relaxation response during a massage. I used this with a number of my regular clients and they each were distracted or jarred when an off note tumbled by. I certainly understand that one can't be perfect over an hour-long performance, but I find this unsuitable for massage for that reason.

This is great music. I play it in my spa all day. The customers love it. Well done!