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The Prayer Cycle
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The Prayer Cycle

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The Prayer Cycle
Music Price: $13.98
As of Nov 21 8:36 EST (details)

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StudioSony
Release DateMarch 23, 1999
UPC Code074646056929
Buy this item$13.98 at Amazon.com
As of Nov 21 8:36 EST (details)
1 Audio CD, Usually ships in 24 hours,
 

About The Prayer Cycle

It is with primitive urgency and lustrous clarity rising like flickering embers from a fire that Jonathan Elias's ambitious Prayer Cycle is given voice. Woven together like knotty wool, silk, and fine strands of silvery water, the disparate yet complementary voices of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Alanis Morissette, Yungchen Lhamo, Ofra Haza, the American Boychoir, Salif Keita, and others intertwine in multiple languages with the superb English Chamber Orchestra and Chorus. Prayers of supplication, gratitude, and longing build in layers, one on top of and 'twixt and 'tween the other, as movements titled "Mercy," "Grace," "Innocence," "Compassion," and the like. Remarkably, Elias's Prayer Cycle eloquently captures the ecstasy, pain, grief, and sublime beauty of humanity--as he simply and poignantly writes in his liner notes, "The world we live in is both joyous and cruel." --Paige La Grone Amazon.com

Tracks

  1. Movement 1: Mercy
  2. Movement 2: Strength
  3. Movement 3: Hope
  4. Movement 4: Compassion
  5. Movement 5: Grace
  6. Movement 6: Innocence
  7. Movement 7: Forgiveness
  8. Movement 8: Benediction
  9. Movement 9: Faith

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User Reviews

Average user review: 4.5 (110 reviews)

rating: 5 QuoteExcellent CDQuote
This is a great collection of songs with a consistent tone that allow you to get into a deep, relaxed state. Highly recommend it. September 4, 2008

rating: 5 QuoteVery different and meditativeQuote
If you like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and I do you, might like this too! February 5, 2008

rating: 5 QuoteSpiritual JourneyQuote
This CD is one I put on when I want to hear beauty and relax. It is great at work when you are working intensely on something or have a deadline! My co-workers laugh because I slide my headphones on and say "I am going to my happy place." December 12, 2007

rating: 4 QuoteNear GloriousQuote
The only "weak" track on Jonathan Elias' The Prayer Cycle is "Grace," featuring John Williams and James Taylor. And I put the word "weak" in quotation marks because where the other eight tracks are transcending, atmospheric and, of course, godly, "Grace" remains earthbound by it's folksy, Renaissance melody. (It's as if Williams and Taylor were channelling deceased English singer-songwriter/musician Nick Drake.) One could argue, however, that "Grace" is a refreshing break from the lush orchestra and passionate wailing throughout, in which case, at track number five, it is perfectly placed in the middle of the epic arrangements. In any case that is a minor quibble for an album that is near glorious and comes highly recommended. August 3, 2007

rating: 5 Quotesoul stirring-true gift of musicQuote
...a very few meaningful words are added to enhance the sound and voice on this eloquent and moving gift of music. It has become my favorite disc to share as a gift of love with friends and colleagues. February 24, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...