Forest is not a monochromatic landscape; it is as rich and varied as any real forest, with unexpected glades, dramatic changes waiting round every bend, sparkling streams you have to jump across, patches of sunlight and when you get to the end, you are richer for the journey. Your emotions have been re-awakened, and you are at peace. If I had to choose one word to characterized Forest, it would be `uplifting'.
It is not an album you can use comfortably as background music. Oh well, you could, but it would be like driving past the Forest with your eyes shut, never experiencing it.
What Knodel & Valencia have created here is pure magic, an entity much more than the sum of its parts. Talking about the contrast of Deb's deep, velvety voice against Jane's silvery, ethereal one; talking about the clarity and expression in their equally contrasting harps and the sparingly tasteful use of guest artists; talking about their skill as harpers, the musical risks they take and the satisfaction of discovering there is not one careless note thrown into the cauldron... is almost superflous.
A quick taste of the journey: "Into Forest Halls" lets us through the gate, our first view of these ancient trees. Stately, overwhelming, mediaevally simple in construction and delivery, it startles the casual listener into a slight uneasiness. It's not what we expect, not what we are used to tuning our ears to. It is here that listener has to decide: "Am I up for this journey? Can I put aside my fast pace of life and my habit of bending nature to suit my rigid expectations?" Those who continue round the bend are rewarded with "Benachie Sunrise", as light and lilting as any new wood in springtime. Cell phones get folded up and put in pockets, and the adventurer begins to stride along more confidently, fueled by lightness of heart.
And it is here that I realize I want to stop the quick tour. I realize, knowing next what moving and heart-wrenching scene the adventurer is going to stumble into like a ghost watching ghosts, unable to help but only to feel, that revealing any more of the journey is rather like showing someone their presents before Christmas morning. This is a journey that should be taken, not talked about.
Be prepared to have your heart played like harp-strings. Whet your appetite for beauty; for joy; for gasping up at the lofty and sublime, and tripping over the light-hearted and humourous [not to mention practical]. Be prepared for a diversity of musical styles and landscapes. Most of all, be prepared for genuine artistry.
For those who don't mind a peep under the wrapping paper, I will say only that my two favourite pieces are "Cradle Song" and "Spootiskerry". The former is built on a scrap of poetry found in a 13th-century Welsh manuscript mixed among the legendary Gododdin, a war elegy written by Aneirin, a 6th-century bard. Among all the formality and high-minded eloquence of Aneirin's skilled heroic prose here is a very ordinary mother singing to her baby about its father, an ordinary tribesman who has been killed. All her grief focuses and crystallizes on his blood-spattered cloak, which she made him with her own hands. She sings her baby a vivid picture of this man as she knew him, and to this day, after owning the album for over a year, it brings tears to my eyes at every listening.
My other favourite, "Spootiskerry", starts out as lightly as a faerie melodie in the mist just as the sun begins to rise and fill it. As the mist clears, we start to stride forward, kilts swinging, our physical energy boundless. Pretty soon we are dancing, as light as any sidhe, carefree as children. It brings back the feeling of those spring mornings that promised Forever, when we could be or do anything we wanted, and only Confidence warred like a tomboy with Joy in our beings. And of course (being children at heart in this tune) some of us might end up playing `cowboys and indians'....
If you are a left-brained, analytical type expecting a logic progression
of traditional Celtic tunes played `correctly', this CD may not be for
you. If you possess even the faintest spark of imagination buried deep
inside, however, do take the risk. Push open the rusty iron gates
set in crumbling stone pillars, forgotten and unseen by the cars that whiz
by. Step
inside, and be claimed by the Forest.
Deb Knodel and Jane Valencia's new album, Forestis a wonderfully complex musical journey though a mythical, primal forest. The liner notes guide you on your journey with lyrics, descriptions, the history of the songs, and a suggestive narrative that sets the mood for each piece. Deb did the artwork which is featured throughout the notes and on the cover, and each piece is a visual treat. This CD is worth the price for the text and illustrations of the liner notes alone.
The first track, "Into Forest Halls" begins with a simple drum that compels you to keep listening. The tune is based on an early French carol with original lyrics. It enchants you and ushers you into the world of the forest through the use of wire-strung harp, bodhran, bowed psaltery, and tingsha. The next song, "Benachie Sunrise", is a soothing, magical melody that begins simply and builds upon itself as two harps and an oboe come together.
"Cradle Song" follows, a lullaby that features the rich voices of both Jane and Deb. The lyrics are intriguing and the music is simple, but perfect background to the tale spun by the performers. "Concerto al Fresco" is next and begins by transporting the listener deep into the forest where animals are chirping and going about their daily business. The melody begins abruptly amid the enchanting sound effects and blends harps together in a way that approaches technical and melodic perfection.
"Binwag's Lullaby" consists of Deb and Jane in their terrific harmonies backed by harps and assorted chimes. "Willafjord" is the next tune and a real gem in their collection. I was surprised and delighted to discover an instrumental Calypso song in the middle of this album. Besides being technically perfect, the song is compelling, lively, and a lot of fun to listen to. "Hwiangerdd" mixes different types of harps in a reprise of the "Cradle Song". Four voices sing this short interlude in its original Medieval Welsh; the effect is nice.
The next selection is "Masque", a mixture of nylon and wire-strung
harp with some harp soundboard drumming.
It is a pleasing mixture, rich in texture with a wide range of dynamics
and graceful interplay between the harps. "Wild Geese" follows,
a traditional Irish Air arranged by Deb on nylon-stung harp with Mike Carey
on bamboo flute and whistle. The instruments dance together like magical,
ethereal lovers, each complementing and intertwining with the other, playfully
teasing and embracing their partner. The effect is as pretty as an Irish
dawn. "Hin Hin Haradala" is the last song in the collection and
features Jane, Deb, and Verlene singing a cappella. The tune is traditional
and sung in Scottish. It begins simply and builds to choral proportions,
itsbeauty building as the tune progresses.
Forest is an album to actively listen to; anyone who puts it on as background music for their guests is going to be disappointed when their guests seem distracted.The reason is simple: Forest is an enchanting, fun journey through a magical, musical arboreal kingdom.
Copyright © 1997 Mark Feil
originally
published in the Folk Harp Journal No. 96
Fall 1997
Since I heard Deb Knodel and Jane Valencia perform at Mythcon 26 in Berkeley I expected to love this disc right off. Surprisingly, on first hearing, I didn't. One has to be in the right mood: introspective, midwintery thoughts, clouds in the sky, and sleet on the windows. The music calls forth the same emotional registers as the "winter" portion of Vivaldi's Four Seasons -- perfect for a blustery midwestern day. To start, I want one thing (harp) and get something else (art song); even if many of the melodies are very Celtic, they are not immediately accessible or commercial, but that's a plus. The more I listen, the more I accept and appreciate the pieces on their own terms.
"Into the Forest" sets the tone with evocative drums and psaltery, letting me know that this is a different forest. Knodel & Valencia adapt their own wording to a French carol, a lovely melody, leading well into their magical vision. Though French, I keep thinking of aboriginal American forests before the Europeans came. The voices are simple, cool with light, smooth in melody. "Benachie Sunrise" is more like what I expect. Gentle harpistry floats through the air, soothing and clear. The complex tune shows the duo's harping at its highest sheen; and the variety in the piece satisfies the ear. "Cradle Song" returns to the art-song mode, but it's an English translation of a 13th century Welsh lullaby, where a mother serenades her child about its father, an absent hunter. I like the medieval Welsh reprise on cut nine, and wish the first song had been done in Welsh. In English it seems to lose some of the structure and form, but Valencia sings it clearly, and I warm to it in the end.
On "Binwag's Lullaby" imagist poetry and melody combine with harmonies to make it my favorite piece. Northern lights "waltz over mountains, wearing rainbow tiaras" while the Great Bear guides "from her home near Polaris". I see winter-elves, dancing. "Willafjord", a Shetland melody adapted to Calypso beat, is a refreshing foray into summer after a powerful winter sketch. "Masque" satisfied my love for deep harpchords encountering light feather-touches, while a midline melody balances in a perfect blend of layers shaped by the drums. Mike Carey's bamboo flute and whistle augments "Wild Geese", a slow, thoughtful melody about an Irish regiment that left Ireland after sad defeat. Knodel evokes distance, sadness and wonder all at once. "Hin Hin Haradala", the puirt-a-beul (mouth music) is merry, like a Hobbit walking song as we leave the forest. It catches me by surprise at the end as it mutates into elven-like chorale.
Though this is not a disc I would listen to every day, it is a varied
collection of explorations, clear artistry, and magical on its own terms.
It needs no mythic overlay to give it any special qualities. They
exist within the music.