When Days Have No Nights (The Songs of Rumi Music by Mischa)

Mischa Rutenberg | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 4, 2000)
• Original Release Date: March 26, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: MorPrem
• ASIN: B00004T0XA
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,775 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #100 in Music > Indie Music > New Age > International

Track Listings

1. Without You

2. Gently Sweetly

3. Until I Call His Name

4. Avoid This Alley

5. Adam's Heart

6. Our Days Have No Nights

7. Circle Turn And Spin

8. To Find The Beloved

9. Suddenly Through My Door

10. Ask Me Why I Cry

11. Like A MArble Of Love

12. Mad For Your Love

13. Tavern Of Love

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly successful blend of East and West- as Rumi, July 27, 2003

By 

May Rihani (Beirut, LEBANON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Days Have No Nights (The Songs of Rumi Music by Mischa) (Audio CD)

I listen to this CD often since I purchased it because Rumi's poetry means so much. I highly recommend it because it blends Eastern philosophy and instruments with Western music. The blend of Persian and English reading must be pleasing to Rumi. It is not an easy task to take an old language and cast it into modern terms without losing something -- but I believe this has been achieved. The composer and performers have produced a tribute to Rumi -- and one we can share with pleasure. Not only is it easy to listen to, but it is filled with Rumi's timeless love. Highly recommend.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of love and beauty, May 3, 2005

By 

Jasmine Nazari (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Days Have No Nights (The Songs of Rumi Music by Mischa) (Audio CD)

I listen to this CD constantly. The melodies support the meaning of the lyrics perfectly. The readings in two languages are mesmerizing. It is refreshing to hear a westerner sing in a natural style without attempting some half assed Eastern imitation. The blend of East and West here is natural and appealing. I highly recommend this CD to everyone.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary love songs to God, May 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: When Days Have No Nights (The Songs of Rumi Music by Mischa) (Audio CD)

This is a sublime collection of devotional songs derived from the poetry of the 13th century Sufi master, Rumi. The songs use new English translations that express in very simple, modern language, many of the subtleties and deep emotions of Rumi's poetry more fully and more directly than other English versions. Most of the original poems were written by Rumi to his Master, Shams of Tabriz. They are love songs to the Divine Beloved. They sing of the joy of his presence, the agony of his absence, the anticipation of his coming, the longing for his return. Here are just a few examples of the lyrics:

Without You/ This whole universe is just/ Passing through my fingers/ Like some powdered sand or dust,/ So won't You come, come, come, please come?/ Bring Your light into our lives, please come!

* * *

No, don't say a word,/ Don't speak about the night./ We live in an endless day with limitless light,/ So don't waste your words, because you'll find,/ Our days have no night.

* * *

He has opened the gates,/ He invites me in./ Deep in silence He waits;/ the world continues to spin./ I will spin, turn and circle all through the night,/ Early in the morning I will turn into light./ I'll never stop turning till I merge in Him,/ Turn, turn, turn, circle and spin!

The songs blend Eastern and Western styles of devotional music to make a very tasteful kind of world-beat sound that is lively but also refined and graceful. There are virtuoso Near Eastern strings, winds and percussion supported by acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizers and keyboards, a terrific jazz-rock drummer, congas, tablas, saxophones, a trumpet, clarinet, and backup singers. The instrumentalists weave a tapestry of hypnotic sounds around Mischa's vocal melodies. It is part new-age, part art-rock, part folk, part jazz, part blues, and all evoking the kind of devotional atmosphere one might find at Rumi's tomb - but using modern pop song forms. The music is wonderfully recorded and surprisingly varied. One song even has a chorus in Spanish! Some songs even have the poems chanted in Persian and English.

The result is a very rich experience unlike any other CD I've ever heard. Though there are only 13 songs listed, there is a LOT of music here! Each song has extended instrumental sections that are like musical meditations on Rumi's themes, and there are some amazing rhythm grooves combining the Middle Eastern and contemporary percussion.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in spiritual or devotional music.