Invocation

Anuna

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 15, 1997)
• Original Release Date: February 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B000005B2W
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #252,033 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern A Cappella Choral Music with an Ancient Irish Twist, October 11, 2002

By	Magick Girl (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

I discovered the music of Anuna, quite by Fate, about 5 years ago--the first album I puchased was "Omnis"... The second album I purchased was "Invocation"--a fitting title, as the word invocation means "the act of...calling upon... a spirit... for inspiration". This album, like all other Anuna album's, invokes a spirit of Ireland that reaches across centuries, combining Medieval texts and Celtic fragments with modern choral harmonization and vocal arrangements, skillfully crafted and executed by Anuna's composer/director Michael McGlynn. I respectfully disagree with prior reviews that categorize Anuna as "Celtic-New Age". This music is unlike ANYTHING being offered in contemporary choral music anywhere in the world, and, being so innovative, it defies categorization--if I could put it in a category, it would be "Modern A Cappella Choral Music with an ancient Irish Twist". Be prepared for an aural experience that will inspire your imagination, challenge you musically, and tug at your heart, all at the same time!

While every track on this CD is a gem, it is the last one which perhaps best sums up the essence of "Invocation". Entitled "Wind on Sea", the text comes from the 6th century mystic poet Amergin Glungel who proclaimed,
"I am the wind that breathes on the sea
I am the wave on the ocean
Who but I can cast light upon the meeting of the mountains?
Who but I will cry aloud the changes of the moon?
Who but I can find the place where hides away the Sun?"

Regardless of one's personal spirituality or belief system, "Invocation" provides a welcome respite from the cacaphony of today's daily demands. This is music unlike anything you have ever heard before--it will most definitely leave you in a different place from where you begin with it. And, wouldn't that be the point of any good invocation?

Enjoy!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Man on a mission for Anuna, May 6, 2003

By	Andy Agree "jackrabbit79" (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews

"Invocation" is a stupendous musical achievement. I say this as someone who, if you looked at my music collection, you would not expect ever to hear this music, much less to buy it twice (on cassette in 1996 and on CD last year). So I'll try to put into words the several things that hooked me: 1) The sweetest, most delicate soprano singing this side of heaven ("The Last Rose", sung by Sara Clancy and "Winter Fire and Snow" and "Siuil a Riun", sung by Katie McMahon). 2) Strange, disturbing, yet thrilling harmonies that seem to delve into deep layers of wonder and awe ("Sleepsong", "Quis Est Deus", and especially "Goltrai"). 3) Humorous male vocal shenanigans ("Hin Bara"). 4) Surges of dark, mysterious urgency and excitement ("Firi Na Greine/The Rising of the Sun", and my two favorite tracks "Heia Viri" and "Song of Oisin") 5) Harmonies that are so drop-dead gorgeous I have no words for them ("Innisfree").

If you're not familiar with Anuna, they were (as of this 1996 CD) an Irish ensemble of 19 men and women (only 12 pictured in the fold-out, most looking to be in their twenties), under the direction of Michael McGlynn who has arranged original interpretations of various forms of Irish vocal music of roughly the last thousand years, with minimal instrumentation. I asked a Celt-o-phile friend where these adventurous vocal harmonies come from and she explained that through the centuries the Irish always took harmonic liberties that were discouraged by the more regimented compositional styles of Britain and mainland Europe. I'm not sure where Anuna recorded, but the CD has that live-in-a-cathedral sound that is appropriate to the music. This was their second CD. I made my way backward from this CD to their first self-titled album "Anuna", which falls short of "Invocation" by only the slightest of margins, but I have not yet made my way forward to their more recent efforts. I have promoted this CD like a missionary, as I'm doing now. I've found to my astonishment some people I expected to like it did not share my enthusiasm. But if you're one who does, and this review helps you find it, then that is why I'm writing it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anuna's enchanting harmonies bring constant enjoyment!, June 21, 1998

By	K.M. (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

I recommend this album as the starter for anyone's budding Anuna collection. Although I have enjoyed other Anuna CDs, this one is unique in that I find its music exactly as enthralling as it was the day I bought it. Director Michael McGlynn's original songs and traditional arrangements are nothing short of amazing. I've never seen a choral group of Anuna's kind, and I don't think any group can equal their talent. If you want to see new life breathed into ancient Latin chants and Irish traditional songs, try this (and all the others)!