JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS, JR.: Vipassana = 1. Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing On the Earth; 2. Stillness Flows Ever Changing; 3. Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys; 4. The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything – Numinous/Joseph C. Phillips Jr. – Innova

by | May 31, 2009 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

JOSEPH C. PHILLIPS, JR.: Vipassana = 1. Of Climbing Heaven and Gazing On the Earth; 2. Stillness Flows Ever Changing; 3. Into all the Valleys Evening Journeys; 4. The Nothingness that is the Source of Everything – Numinous/Joseph C. Phillips Jr. – Innova 720, 1 hr. [www.innova.mu] *****:

The translation of the Buddhist term Vipassana is “to see things as they really are,” and it has become the term for a type of meditation seeking spiritual insight thru silence. Phillips has intended to reflect the essence of that in his composition, which features 15 musicians – instrumentalists and vocalists – in a four-part work that mixes classical, jazz and pop music in a minimalist yet constantly transforming creation that reminded me of some of Harold Budd’s meditational new music such as Madrigals of the Rose Angel.

Phillips reports that he wanted to stimulate the mind and refresh the spirit thru his music. The first movement title comes from the poetry of Percy Shelley, but the piece itself was inspired by a photo from the coffee-table book Earth From Above – a collection of aerial photos taken from places around the globe. The photo that struck Phillips was one of a flock of ibis flying over a Venezuelan delta, shot from a high perspective above the flock. It evoked for him a sense of “soaringness” which he tried to create in the music. It opens with vibes, strings, winds, pianos and voices. The third movement makes use of African and Brazilian percussion and was inspired by the “hero’s journey” as described by Joseph Campell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Phillips’ final movement was partly inspired by Mahler’s Rückterlieder, as well as a theme in Lars von Trier’s film Dancer in the Dark with Björk.

Vipassana
has more depth than most music classified as New Age, and provides fascinating listening of great beauty along with considerable originality.  It creates a sense of wonder missing from most new music.

 – John Sunier

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