Michael Hoppe and Tim Wheater - Wind Songs [Spring Hill] (wma)
12/08/2006
In 1994, keyboardist Michael Hoppe and flautist Tim Wheater won accolades for their album The Yearning, which garnered CD Review's "CD of the Year" honors. For Wind Songs switches from Native American to silver flute for "Silence of the Stars," as sleepy-eyed and seductive as , the duo set the musical key to suit Wheater's many ethnic flutes, then improvised with "no previous rehearsing or mindset." The album opens with "Between Cave and Cloud"; mountains quake and skies shudder in extended OMs, a gently mournful lament for the earth. WheaterScheherazade; sparkling chimes signal outbursts of shooting stars, then a melody strokes with infinite tenderness. "Stray Bird" moves uptone with its greener feeling, like the bursting of an Irish spring. Most cuts include songs from animals -- eagle cries, chattering squirrels -- while "On Wings of Sleep" lulls with a gentle brook. The tone throughout is like a nocturne: steady heartbeat, unfettered breathing, alert to reverence. Here, a troubled soul can find peace in the night. Richard Burmer added subtle synthesizer magic to the final mix.
Track Lists
01 Between Cave And Cloud
02 Silence Of Stars
03 Calling You (Once More)
04 Stray Bird
05 The Lovely Land
06 On Wings Of Sleep
07 Tears Of The Earth
08 The Lark's Return