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TALES FROM TIME
A few tales, moments, images of distant worlds... The first mini-suite ventures
into the far Orient, its past and present, contemplating the imagery of intimate
Eastern ceremonies, cities, monasteries... The second mini-suite immerses itself
in the world of medieval bards, battles, the Dark Ages and enlightenment...
All tracks combine the characteristic 'sound' of these worlds with electronics, sounds of rare medieval and ethnic instruments being used in conjunction with synthesized atmospheres.
Please note: Real Player is needed to play the track samples.
Birth of new worlds, the times of Kojiki and Vedic tales...
Just a tranquil, ephemeral moment... a quiet reunion, overlooking a Zen garden...
Places that seamlessly combine the ancient traditions and the ultra-modern... A more dynamic piece with ethnic elements and in the same time, a more 'up-to-date' sound... of a waking Oriental metropolis that hadn't forgotten its roots...
A more ambiental piece mainly inspired by James Hilton's classic utopia about Shangri-La... A monastery of great past and great loneliness, hidden in unapproachable high mountains, with values that are to be protected from the chaos of the outside world...
A sharp border between the two worlds... a darker, electronic piece marking the start of the medieval mini-suite... Harsh contrasts of the times of great oppression but also of great luminaries... No hints of medieval music yet...
6. Forgotten Battlefields (Fearless*/The Field/Battle/Aftermath**)
All those old battlefields and battles that no-one wishes to remember... Fearless march onto misty fields, to turn them into the stage for chaotic clashes... The survivors become the victors... only to contemplate the losses. The first and last section is based around medieval music fragments that fitted the mood perfectly and gave an air of authenticity to the tale... Please see notes at the end for exact references.
For the countless bards and troubadours that left us timeless gems of medieval music. A quiet gathering around a bonfire, with a solitary bard playing his lute... Once again, tried to compose a melody and use an arrangement that is instantaneously identifiable as one belonging to that period, but in the same time, somewhat futuristic...
If the previous song was one of a solitary bard and a quiet gathering around a bonfire, this one comes from noisy gatherings of knights, royalty and cheerful bands... comfortably detached from the reality outside the castle walls... depicted by the quiet mid-section of the track. Rare medieval instrument sound samples were used on this track, too that blend with synthesizers.
9. Leaving The Dark Ages (Inquisition/Lights/Procession/Hope)
Dedicated to the luminaries that brought ultimate sacrifices for their ideas... in times of mental and physical oppression... The sections of the track attempt to describe the dark moods mixed with the rays of light of hope. We are also witnesses to a procession on the streets, one that has some overtones of hope, while also having some elements of a march that heralds changing times... and the blend of electronic/choral arrangements try to suggest the question: have we really left behind these dark times of bigotry and mental oppression?
10. The Journey Home (Space/The Landing/Home)
A piece to conclude the voyage in distant times and places... bit of an odd-one out, jumping into the future. Apparently about a long space travel, this is for any traveller on a long journey that finally culminates in the exaltation of reaching familiar land again... the tranquil world of home. And since the album's material was a voyage, perhaps it's a fitting conclusion...
All tracks composed, arranged, performed and engineered by Levente.
Except:
(*) based on La quarte estampie royal, Anonymous, 14th century.
(**) based on Ja nuns hons pris, attributed to Richard I. Lionheart, 12th century.
Arranged and performed by Levente.
Many thanks to Andreas Sumerauer for the rare medieval instrument samples.
Cover design by Levente. Reproductions of: Landscape in ink, Shunbun, 15th century, Japan; Fragment from Chronicle of Anonymous, 12th Century, Hungary.
© 2001 Levente