Frank's Reviews :: Byzantium

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From the Liner Notes ::

"For over a thousand years, the word "Byzantium" conjured images of the exotic and mysterious East. For the people of Medieval Europe, it was both the gateway to Arabia and Asia, and the capital of the greatest Empire the world had ever seen.

Like an enormous cultural magnet... Its legendary wealth; power; sophistication; learning; and artistic excellence drew people from all over the world and seduced them with its myriad charms.

The music of this masterful recording reflects the enchanting blend of cultures and traditions... Celtic; Greek; Latin; Arabian... accurately capturing the rich and enticing influences which distinguished the fabled city. To listen to this CD is to hear again the tantalizing echo of a long vanished time and place." --- Steven R. Lawhead

High praise from the author of the Novel upon which the music in this CD is based. And I must say that I generally agree with Mr. Lawhead's evaluation.

Review / Comments ::

Byzantium: The Book of Kells & St. Aidan's Journey
Composed by Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning
(Based on the Novel by Steven R. Lawhead)

After my first experience with the music of Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning... "Celtic Legends: The Bard & The Warrior"... I was looking forward to obtaining more of their works. I must admit however, that I approached their other recordings with some trepidation, after learning that Mr. Johnson has strong religious leanings... Albeit, with a blend of New Age and Celtic mysticism. Not being a strongly religious person myself, I wasn't sure if his other works would appeal to me. However, after realizing that I have a large collection of sacred compositions from the Mediæval; Renaissance; and Classical periods, which are enjoyable simply for their music... I decided to take a chance with "Byzantium: The Book of Kells & St. Adain's Journey"

Anyone familiar with Irish History will appreciate that it is impossible to view Ireland, at the dawn of the Dark Ages, absent the influence of the early Christian Church. The Irish embraced Christianity more readily than any other people of the British Isles. After the Roman Empire abandoned Britannia, the Monasteries of Hibernia... as Ireland was then known... were, for several hundred years, the seat of all knowledge, both secular and sacred, in northern Europe. The Celtic Church, literally cut off from the influences of Rome and Constantinople by a still largely Pagan Continental Europe, developed a distinctiveness that remains even to this day.

"Byzantium: The Book of Kells & St. Aidan's Journey", tells the story of the Book of Kells... One of the most important Illuminated Manuscripts of the Dark Ages... and its journey with the monk Aidan, the book's scribe, to the city of Constantinople as a gift for the Holy Roman Emperor. Each track is meant to evoke one of the adventures and events that occurred during the journey to, and stay in Byzantium.

Through the use of traditional Celtic music idioms... Blended with sounds and instruments native to the Near East... Johnson & Dunning have done an excellent job of composing music that engenders the sense of mystery and wonder that Aidan and his fellow travelers must have felt as they undertook a pilgrimage that none before them had ever attempted.

With the exception of "Cadoc's Blessing", a short narrative taken from the book, and some chants in "Byzantium (Golden City)"... and an untitled Bonus Track at the very end of the Album... the CD is purely instrumental. Although every one of the ten pieces in this work is excellent in its own right... After having listened to the album several times, I find a few that stand out as particularly enjoyable:
"Cadoc's Blessing"; "Eagle Dreams"; "Kasimain's Gift"; "Vows"; and the title track "Byzantium (Golden City)".

Footnote: Sections of music from this CD were featured in Martin Scorsese's 2003 film, "Gangs of New York"

Additional Information:

Recorded January 1999 – June 2000 at The Ark, Camano Island, Washington, USA and Jacordi Studio, Clane, County Kildare, Ireland