Track Listing

1. Incantation
2. The Gates of Istanbul
3. Caravanserai
4. The English Ladye and the Knight
5. Kercharitomene
6. Penelope's Song
7. Sacred Shabbat
8. Beneath A Phrygian Sky
9. Never-ending Road (Amhran Duit)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4269 in Music
• Released on: 2006-11-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced

Album Description
Produced by the Canadian singer/composer herself, An Ancient Muse is, McKennitt says, a work of "musical travel writing". Drawing on research and literary musings that took her from the steppes of Mongolia to Ireland's western shores and the islands of the Mediterranean, McKennitt takes her inspiration from the Celtic peoples, fusing the melodic sensibility of Scottish and Irish balladry with musical traditions from Greece, Turkey, Spain, and even Scandinavia.

Beginning with an invocation inspired by Homer's Odyssey -- "Tell me, O Muse, of those who traveled far and wide"-- its nine tracks take the listener around the globe, across the ages and into the stories of a wondrous cast of characters. We hear the voices of a Scottish knight and his English lady, united by love and divided by strife; adventurers of the Silk Road approaching the gates of Istanbul; a Byzantine princess who witnessed the Crusades; the wandering Celts who claimed King Midas' lands; and Odysseus' faithful wife Penelope, scanning the wine-dark seas for his return.

From the sinuous grooves of "Caravanserai" to the elegiac echoes of "The English Ladye and The Knight" and the plaintive refrain of "Penelope's Song," the album boasts an exotic tapestry of instruments: harp, hurdy-gurdy, uilleann pipes, cello, kanoun, Turkish clarinet, lyra, bouzouki and nyckelharpa. Supporting musicians include Brian Hughes, Hugh Marsh, Caroline Lavelle, Manu Katché, Rick Lazar, Nigel Eaton, Steafan Hannigan, Tal Bergman, Tim Landers and Greek musicians Panos Dimitrakopoulos, Socratis Sinopoulos, Haig Yazdjian and Giorgios Kontogiannis, along with acclaimed string players and members of the Choristers of Westminster Abbey.

In an age whose uncertainties and strife make it perhaps not so very distant from eras long past, An Ancient Muse's theme, McKennitt suggests, is that we can learn lessons from history if we choose to do so - by remembering those very particular places in time when religious harmony and cultural fusion brought diverse societies together.

"I have not wavered in my conviction," she observes in the written introduction to An Ancient Muse, "that we are a culmination of our collective histories, and that there should be more to bind us together than tear us apart."

About the Artist
Canadian singer/composer Loreena McKennitt is self-managed, self-produced, and the head of her own internationally successful record label, Quinlan Road. In a recording career spanning nearly two decades, McKennitt's "eclectic Celtic" music has won critical acclaim worldwide and gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales awards in fifteen countries across four continents.

Born in the province of Manitoba, Canada, Loreena moved to Stratford, Ontario, Canada in 1981, where she still resides. She has acted and sung in, and composed music for, Stratford Festival of Canada productions ranging from The Tempest (1982) to The Merchant Of Venice (2001).

Her recording career began in 1985 with the album Elemental. In the fledgling years of her label Quinlan Road, Loreena ran its operations from her kitchen table, selling recordings by mail order and producing her own concert tours across the country.

Loreena continues to manage her career from her Stratford base. An active member of her community, she has founded and oversees important charitable undertakings in the fields of water safety and family/childhood support services.

Customer Reviews

Haunting and beautiful
I came across Loreena McKennitt when I bought "Celtic Chillout" which featured "The Mummer's Dance". It took me to "The Book Of Secrets", which drove me to her other albums - both studio and live. As I continue to discover her development from her more folk-orientated music to what would now be described as World Music (if we must use categories!), my love of her music grows, to the point where I have had a real longing for the release of this album.

I was not immediately certain about the music I heard until I had listened to it four or five times but, now, I can't get enough of it. Such is her ability to enchant, captivate or charm me that, amongst all the large amounts of music I listen to, I keep coming back to Loreena.

The thing about her is that it is not just an album but a magical mystery lesson in history, set to music. You buy the whole package including her immersion in the research which goes into the making of the album and the story of the journeys she makes.

Once the research is done, it seems that the knowledge her fantastic mind has gained is used to piece together a travelogue which sends the listener on a similar journey to which the artist has been on. This is, I guess, what she sets out to do - and she succeeds wonderfully.

For this album, she has brought together a brilliant set of musicians - Brian Hughes, Hugh Marsh, Caroline Lavelle, Rick Lazar and Donald Quan - to name five and who have featured on previous albums.

So what we have is such a fantastic album that I can't stop playing it. Loreena's singing is sensational and with such clarity that you can hear every word. Add the aforementioned musicians and nine gorgeous tracks - my personal favourites are "Beneath A Phrygian Sky" and "Penelope's Song", but all are brilliant - and you have a fantastic album which will be among my all-time favourites for a long time.

Incidentally, at the time of writing, she has just finished a European tour and is about to start a tour of Canada and the United States. Her only English concert was in London's Barbican Theatre and she and her fellow musicians were simply fantastic. Fans should look out for a 2xCD/1xDVD box set of the concert she performed in September 2006 at the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, which was on sale at her concert venues - it is brilliant.

So, this relatively new fan has fallen in love with Loreena McKennitt's music and I strongly recommend that if you have a vague interest in her music, buy the album and you will not be disappointed - it is a hauntingly, beautiful collection of musical from a brilliantly talented artist.

Exquisite Album
It's been a decade since the last release, but this album was well worth the wait. High production standards and much attention to detail has resulted in what can only be described as a truly magical journey that transports the listener. Loreena's voice is superb and the arrangements are flawless. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Muse undimmed
It has been a longish wait since 'The Book of Secrets' but for LM fans it will not disappoint. If anything the arrangements are more complex and rich. After just a few listenings it seems a stronger, more powerful album (more like the fantastic live album in feel) than the other studio albums. The sense of melody is very rich on this album particularly on 'Caravanserai', Beneath a Phrygian Sky', 'Penelope' and 'Never-ending Road'. These are just sublimely beautiful and her singing is better than ever. This is written only one day after release but already I'm relishing listenings to come.