Sacred River
Gandalf
www.realmusic.com

          We spend the "morning at the river beach" along the "sacred river." Watching the "blossoms falling like snow" we rest in "silent joy" and listen to "the ferryman's tale." "Take me gently across the water" "confidently floating seawards." We experience "a visionary passage." "Flow, water, flow" down to "where the river joins the sea."
          And there you have song titles from Gandalf's beautiful album Sacred River. Herman Hesse´s novel "Siddharta" came to his mind, especially the part when Siddharta joins Vasudeva, the old and wise ferryman. Gandalf, who is named after and resembles the wizard in The Lord of the Rings says: "The circle of the water from the source to the ocean, ascending into the sky and falling down as rain again, appears like a symbol for life itself. The river, permanently flowing, permanently changing and yet ever remaining the same, embodies both movement and constancy."
          The nature-inspired style of Sacred River is "new age" or better yet, 21st century classical music. Gandalf, an Austrian native, plays Acoustic nylon - and steel string - guitars, electric pedal-guitar, bouzuki, piano, keyboards & soundsamplers, various bells and percussion. He is a veteran to new age music, with 28 albums to his name.
          On the surface, to some ears, the music will have a familiar sounding, almost stereotypical "new age" sound. Overly schmaltzy, too mellow? I guess some may prefer their rivers to be asserting the laws of physics by roaring down a mountain side. Here you have a river with fresh, clean water, that touches deeply, and without effort or gravity, lets you flow freely with a purpose. Ah! For such "be-here-nowness." You are free to experience the journey, to love deeply, and listen listen listen. Heh! You have problem with that! (said in my strongest New Jersey accent).
          I do not get tired of listening to Sacred River. Not once. Even I'm surprised. The great quality of the instrumentation doesn't hurt.  I remember when I got fed-up of the sameness of  "this kind of music." Maybe I love it now, because it is a sound I that comes most naturally to me when I play the keyboard. It's part of my expression which I need to accept. The music becomes part of our expression and inspires us to be current in the Mind-River of our journey. You can travel to www.gandalf.at and sample Gandalf's music.

~ Review by Ron Rudin

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