Sasha Lazard - Myth of Red

In the never-ending move to cross novel musical idioms, The Myth of Red has an air of inevitability about it. An ambitious fusion of opera arias, Russian folk tunes, and art songs with beat-driven electronic soundscapes, the album largely succeeds in bridging incongruous musical worlds. A gifted classically trained vocalist, fetching soprano Sasha Lazard lends her talents to 13 tracks inspired by or based on Rachmaninoff, Verdi, Saint-Saëns, "Ave Maria," and "The Incubus" by the notorious poet Charles Baudelaire. Nimbly aided by the production, programming, and keyboards of Frank Fitzpatrick and David Tobocman, the lovely violin of Lili Hayden, and production ringers DJ Spooky and Delerium, Lazard delivers a smooth, classy, and fairly sedate collection that will appeal more to adventurous classical and world-music fans than hard-core electronic aficionados. The Myth of Red succeeds most when it picks up the pace on tracks like "Forbidden Dance," "Awakening," and the slyly funky "Temptation." Not surprisingly, two of the best tracks are DJ Spooky's galloping "Battle of Erishkigal" and a remix of "Awakening" by the incomparable Delerium, an act whose depth of feeling and mystery Lazard and her crew seem to strive for but don't quite achieve. Fusing several centuries of music is no small task, but Sasha Lazard actually makes it seem natural, which is a testament to her talent, training, and choice of company. --Carl Hanni Amazon.com

A Goddess' Voice!!!!

Sasha Lazard made her first mark on me when I borrowed her CD from a library a couple of years ago. I was amazed by what I heard and wanted to hear so much more! I couldn't borrow it from the library again, and it was hard to order all of her cds from local distributors. Because of limitations, it was a purchase that was forced to wait.
It remained in my mind until this year, and I was lucky she had released 3 more cds! (two of which were on cdbaby, who I am equally satisfied with) I am constantly amazed at the force and integrity of her vocal prowess, though nothing has come close yet to my first impression, the Myth of Red.
The Battle of Erishkigal was a passionate performance, I constantly imagine a scenario when listening to it. Armies clashing on a giant field. So vivid is the sound that it feels like every sound creates an image in my mind. Not many people can effect imagination like that with just their voice.

I am more than pleased, and I show everyone Sasha Lazard's music. January 9, 2008

Music To Calm The Nerves

I've owned this CD for over a year. Usually like most CD's I buy, once I listen to them a plethora of times, it becomes somewhat of old news. However, this is not the case for Myth of Red. I find even now it gives me chills down my spine. What's more, when I'm feeling stressed for any reason, these songs just put me at ease. I dunno, the chills I get from music like this just relaxes me a lot.
I especially loved the Princess Mononoke theme song. I admit, I loved the anime a lot, so when I found that Sasha Lazard had done the theme song for English, I was sold. It's a bummer the song is so short, but I've found that my top 5 favorite songs of all music are all under 2m 30s. Short and sweet.
I recommend that anyone who listens to the samples and likes what they hear, to buy the CD. You'll thank yourself later. December 13, 2007

Postmodern Opera

Remember that weirdly wonderful techno-aria sung by the character Plavalaguna in "The Fifth Element"? Well, here's an entire CD of opera/tek grooves like that one. But unlike the blue diva in "Element," Sasha Lazard doesn't need to synthetically enhance her soaring soprano pipes. Here she mixes her classical background with Electronica, overdubs, plus some funky World beats, to a surprisingly successful end. Such hybrid music isn't for everyone: if you don't believe in messing with sainted Old Masters (Rachmaninoff and Rimsky-Korsakov; Ave Maria), steer clear. But if you're open to some audio fun that marries old and new (Princess Mononoke's Theme Song, DJ Spooky), go for it. These tracks are light clean fun guaranteed to evoke smiles at your next cocktail party. April 15, 2007

myth of Red

What inspired me into purchasing this item is the Avé Maria from Caccini, wonderfuly mastered in such a wonderful way. I absolutely flip over this track. I find this entire cd an absolute blessing and a must have in a collection! March 9, 2007

good buy

her voice is lovely and the whole cd was a delight to listen to. January 18, 2007

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