Customer Reviews

Toward the Night

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

 

 

Although the entire cd is excellent, I would point the listener toward track 3, "Homa", in particular. I heard this piece of music, once, nearly 10 years ago, and never forgot it.

It has an unusually spare sound, a very quiet presence that seems to float, with the female vocalist's crystal clear voice arcing across the darkly luminous space painted by the string ensemble. It is achingly beautiful, a breathless piece of music, and almost too much to bear.

By chance, i listened to this CD on one of the listening stations in a Barnes & Noble bookstore in Kansas City back in Fall/Winter of 1995. Just like what the other reviewer wrote, the minimalistic whole album is excellent. My favorite track is "Homa." This piece of music is hauntingly beautiful. It was written for the composer's deceased grandmother. The music slowly builds up with a string ensemble, kind of like Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, eventually opening up to the clear voice of soprano Kyoko Sato. One can't help but feel the emotional pain of losing a loved one when listening to this and at some point, it is almost too much to bear.