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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely beautiful!, June 14, 2002
Here I am again, writing another praise-filled review but to me this is worth it. Composed by David and Diane Arkenstone, this work to me is simple and stunning. Not as grand and orchestral as the recent "Music inspired by Middle Earth", this album has a more down to earth Medieval flavor appropriate to what it depicts. A beautiful mix of violin, guitar, drums, flute, and whistle blends excellently with lovely keyboards, piano and choral effects to bring this musical portrait to life. Uilleann pipes make a nice apperance as well. The melodies do tend to be repetitive but they are so beautiful and heart-wrenching that you will not mind about it. Also each piece is easily distinct. You never feel as if you are hearing the same song played over and over again.1 Road To Camelot- This is appropriately lively, giving a sense of travelling to a place you long to see.
2 Enchantment- Softer and slower, with beautiful strings and wordless vocals. A sense of being lured to somewhere by beauty
3- Avalon- Slow again. Exquisite piano and vocal work with strings capture the beauty of a place lost in legend
4- The Spirit Of Excalibur- This has the same beauty as #3 but sounds a bit more "noble", almost like a march in some places
5- Merlin's Secret- More lively and jaunty than the last two but with a happiness and beauty all it's own
6- Lady Of The Lake- Lovely and slow. Ethereal. Not quite a lament though. Or is it? You be the judge.
7- The Round Table- This is slow to mid tempo stuff. It has the feel of a noble procession somehow.
8- Guinevere's Tears- This is as the title suggests a beautiful lament.
9- The Wedding- Easily the liveliet piece on the album. It gives a real feeling of celebration and Medieval pageantry.
10- Arthur's Farewell- Uilleann pipes combine with strings, gentle piano, and vocal work. The melody is simple and beautiful, rising and falling like waves on the shore. It gives the feel of Arthur's soul rising to Heaven as his comerades look on.
In short this album does a great job of capturing everything that makes the Arthurian legends so enduring to us. Love, nobility, adventure, heroics, and tragedy. It's all here. If you pick this up more likely than not, it's beauty will grab hold of your heart and never let go of it.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply beautiful!, July 29, 2002
The first time I heard this CD was through browsing the New Age section of a Borders bookstore. It is one among others that they have displayed for sample listening. The front cover caught my attention. After listening to the first track, I told myself that this is definately a *must have* CD. The music is simply so beautiful that I stood there and listened to the whole CD. The enchanting music makes you feel as if you are actually there in the time of King Arthur. There are just no other words to describe this. If this CD is not part of your collection, then you are definately missing out!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very appealing and inspiring!, December 4, 2002
Melodies and instrumentations influenced by the traditional music of the British Isles are rendered with a modern sensibility that is part New Age, part epic soundtrack. These lush, engaging compositions by Diane and David Arkenstone combine acoustic and electronic instruments, as well as occasional vocalise and whispered texts by Diane (whose name spelled backwards creates the pseudonym "Enaid"). This recording could easily be a companion work to the Arkenstones' "Music Inspired by Middle Earth"; it is equally appealing, telling a different story, but with similar textures and techniques. I find both recordings to be quite evocative and inspirational, and if they were old vinyl LPs, I'd have worn the grooves out by now. If you aren't familiar with David and Diane Arkenstones' work, start with these two CDs, and if you're already a fan, you're sure to love these top-notch additions to the repertoire! David's earlier release, "The Celtic Book of Days", also has British Isles theme and is quite enjoyable. Other similarly evocative "soundtracks" to historical and fantasy legends include Mychael and Jeff Danna's "A Celtic Tale: The Legend of Deirdre" and "A Celtic Romance: The Legend of Liadain and Curithir", as well as Jeff Johnson and Brian Dunning's "Byzantium: The Book of Kells and St. Aidan's Journey", and "Music of Celtic Legends: The Bard and the Warrior". Buy them all and put them on a multi-CD mixer for hours of compelling journeys through time and mood!
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