Visionary music by Sarah Hopkins for choir, orchestra, didgeridoo, overtone singing, shakuhachi, cello and the celestial Harmonic Whirlies.
"Inspiring, heartfelt music, fabulous for meditation & massage 'Honour the Earth' calls us back to the very heart of life, where we find ourselves resplendent, humbled & restored" - Kerry Harvey.
Sarah writes:
"Compositionally I trust the power of the simple, direct & heartfelt & am guided by my intuition. Sometimes dream & visions inspire my music. Often melodies literally "sing though" me as was the case in 'Past Life Melodies', 'Two Kyries from the Winds of Heaven', 'Return to Joy' & 'Honour the Earth....'.
Several of these songs are regularly performed by Choirs around the world (see Track notes for more info).
Published Scores & Parts are available for 6 of the 8 tracks on this CD (not for Tracks 2 or 6) from www.sarahhopkins.com
Track 1 : 'Honour the Earth as your Mother' for treble voice choir, orchestra & didgeridoo. Commissioned & performed by Korowa Anglican Girls' School, Melbourne, Australia.Conducted by Nadene Gilmore. Recorded by Glen Bardwell
Track 2 : 'Remember the Joy, Life is Sacred' for wind chimes, Harmonic Whirlies, cello, overtone singing & shakuhachi. Performed by Sarah Hopkins (cello & overtone singing), Anne Norman (shakuhachi), Chris Neville (Harmonic Whirlies & overtone singing) & Jon Lintott (overtone singing). Sound Engineers : Bruce Jacobson (Grevillea Studios, Brisbane), Greg Muller (SBS Studios, Melbourne) & Michael Hewes (Melbourne).
Track 3 : 'Two Kyries from the Winds of Heaven' for mixed voice a cappella choir. Sung by Canticum, conducted by Emily Cox. Recorded live in Concert at the Brisbane International Festival of Music (1997) by ABC Classic FM Sound Engineer Dennis Fox, Producer Malcolm Batty.
Track 4 : 'Past Life Melodies (II)' for cello ensemble. Performed at National Music Camp (1992) by cellists Zoe Knighton, Karella Mitchell, Christopher Metcalf, Catherine Bond, Jennifer Kadell, Nada Jasz, Brendan Conroy, Rohan de Korte, Nicole Dobosi, Caerwen Martin, Peter Hollo, Stephen Leek & Phillip Pollet, conducted by Sarah. Recorded by ABC Classic FM.
Track 5 : 'Return to Joy' for mixed voice a cappella choir. Commissioned by St Margaret's Anglican Girls School, Brisbane 1995. Sung by Canticum, conducted by Emily Cox. Recorded live in Concert at the Brisbane International Festival of Music (1997) by ABC Classic FM Sound Engineer Dennis Fox, Producer Malcolm Batty.
Track 6 : 'In the Present' - A duo improvisation by Sarah Hopkins (cello & overtone singing) & Anne Norman (shakuhachi). Sound Engineers Greg Muller (SBS Studios, Melbourne) & Michael Hewes (Melbourne).
Track 7 : 'Past Life Melodies' for mixed voice a cappella choir. Commissioned & sung by St Peters Chorale (Brisbane) conducted by Sarah. First released CDSPC1002 'Until I Saw'. Chorale Director Graeme Morton. Sound Engineer David Starr, Producer Stephen Leek.
Track 8 : 'Reclaiming the Spirit' for mixed quartet. Commissioned & played by Perihelion, the resident ensemble at The University of Queensland. Gwyn Roberts- cello, Patricia Pollett - viola, Nigel Sabin - clarinet, Jenni Flemming- soprano & harmonic whirly. Sound Engineer & Producer Belinda Webster.
CD Produced by Sarah Hopkins
- Post production & CD mastering by Michael Worthington, Rocking Horse Studios, Byron Bay, NSW.
"Sarah Hopkins' music is truly uplifting, soothing for the soul, innovative & exotic. A real gem in Australian music" ~ Zoli
Mauritz, Festival Director. She is a unique Australian composer-performer, internationally acclaimed for her visionary music & inspiring performances for cello, overtone singing, handbells, choir & the celestial sounding Harmonic Whirlies of her own creation....more
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