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The Book of Secrets Loreena McKennitt see larger picture List Price: $18.98 Price: $13.49 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details . You Save: $5.49 (29%) Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours Used & new from $8.04 See more product details Exclusive Offer: Order The Book of Secrets now and receive immediate access to the following in your Digital Library : New Music Spotlight: Best of 2002--an audio stream of some of the best recordings of 2002. See details Great Buy Buy this album with The Mask and Mirror ~ Loreena McKennitt today! Total List Price : $ 36.96 Buy Together Today: $ 27.48 Customers who bought this title also bought: The Visit ~ Loreena McKennitt Parallel Dreams ~ Loreena McKennitt Elemental ~ Loreena McKennitt To Drive the Cold Winter Away ~ Loreena McKennitt A Winter Garden (Five Songs for the Season) EP ~ Loreena McKennitt The Celts ~ Enya Mummer's Dance [CD-SINGLE] ~ Loreena McKennitt Mists of Avalon : Original Television Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK] ~ Lee Holdridge (Composer), et al Explore similar items Product Details Essential recordings: Loreena McKennitt Audio CD (September 30, 1997) Original Release Date : September 30, 1997 Number of Discs: 1 Label: Warner Brothers ASIN: B000002NHN Other Editions: Audio Cassette Average Customer Review: Based on 359 reviews. Write a review . Amazon.com Sales Rank: 339 Popular in: NetZero, INC (#8) , Aurora, CO (#17) . See more Our Customers' Advice See what customers recommend in addition to, or instead of, the product on this page. Recommend an item! 3 people recommended Whisper in addition to The Book of Secrets 2 people recommended Instrumental Evolution Volume 6 instead of The Book of Secrets See more customer buying advice Listen to Samples To hear a song sample, click on the "Listen ." Visit our audio help page for more information. 1. Prologue 2. Mummers' Dance 3. Skellig 4. Marco Polo 5. Highwayman 6. Serenissima 7. Night Ride Across the Caucasus 8. Dante's Prayer Editorial Reviews Amazon.com essential recording McKennitt's recordings always have the quality of a spiritual sojourn; her songs are those of a seeker, whether she's setting Yeats, Scripture, or her own words to her compositions. It's this that attracts people to her music, and The Book of Secrets is no exception, whether it's the lazy rhythms of "Marco Polo," the sober joy of "The Mummers' Dance," the poignancy of "Skellig" or "Dante's Prayer," or the drama of Alfred Noyes 's "The Highwayman." "The Highwayman" is a particularly strong effort, especially in comparison to her earlier setting of "The Lady of Shalott"; McKennitt has become much more skilled at musical narrative. This is music that can be enjoyed on many levels, from McKennitt's growing skill as a composer to the deeper questions posed by her lyrics. --Genevieve Williams Spotlight Reviews (what's this) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 9 of 9 people found the following review helpful: A Multi-faceted, Beautifully Recorded Dreamscape , October 8, 2000 Reviewer: Supernova (see more about me) from Canada Every single Loreena McKennitt recording bears something wonderfully new and inventive in the way it is presented. This is no exception. Though this disc lacks the Celtic feel of "The Visit", the sounds and instrumentation on this CD are on par with anything Loreena has released in the past. The amazing part of this CD is it's ability to totally entrance and seduce the listener. The sounds are so new and refreshing that it is impossible to comprehend the complexity of each nuance, each sound of every song in just one listen. Several listens are needed to appreciate the brilliance that this woman possesses. "Skellig", "Dante's Prayer" and "Night Ride Across The Caucasus" are superior efforts. It is so gratifying to know that others feel the same and were drawn to Loreena following the success of "The Mummer's Dance" as a single. Unfortunately, this may be her last studio effort, following a very personal loss - a great disappointment to say the least. Here's hoping that she will continue to mesmerize us with her intelligent, achingly beautiful music. Was this review helpful to you? 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: The perfect nocturne, a perfect work. , November 6, 2001 Reviewer: r_rhoden (see more about me) from Spartanburg, SC United States In this remarkable album, LM continues her journey from traditional Irish-Celtic melodies toward distinct, hypnotic works richly layered with Middle Eastern and European sounds. (The variety of instruments listed in the liner notes is staggering--who but LM could integrate the harp, kanoun, cello, bodrahn, tin whistle, shawm, etc.? What is a shawm, anyway?) Through it all, though, McKennitt's hauntingly angelic voice guides, caresses and inspires, whether portraying a dying monk in "Skellig" or the Italian poet in "Dante's Prayer" or narrating Alfred Noyes' dark, engaging ballad "The Highwayman" for ten minutes of stark, vivid storytelling. Each of the three instrumental tracks--"Prologue," "Marco Polo" and "La Serenissima"--is beautiful and captivating in its own right. The hypnotic "Prologue" sets the mood for the entire album, with LM's voice emerging mid-way through to complete the enchantment. The exotic "Marco Polo" has its own magic: you have to move, however slightly, while it plays. Finally, the languid, violin-borne "La Serenissima" delicately evokes the spirit of Renaissance-era Venice: distant music over torch-lit waters. There is no mediocre track present here. That said, the most splendid is the last, "Dante's Prayer." Following the breathtaking voices of the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir, LM's own rises, tender and pleading and pure: "Cast your eyes to the ocean, cast your soul to the sea. When the dark night seems endless, please remember me." I do not know that there is a more beautiful song in my entire collection. Like most, if not all of her albums, this is best appreciated at night, perhaps with wine and candlelight and thoughts turning to far-away worlds, heaven among them. As in her previous album, "The Mask & The Mirror," LM writes lyrics of deep spiritual longing, here heightened by the allegory of travel. (She sings in "Skellig" of "rivers running deep, beneath an endless sky"--and they appear.) If civilization endures, justice demands that these songs endure also. I believe they are timeless. Certainly, the essence of timelessness pervades them. I give this album my very highest endorsement and await her next, not quite daring to hope that it can surpass The Book of Secrets. Was this review helpful to you? All Customer Reviews Avg. Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. amazing , March 4, 2005 Reviewer: A music fan from Indiana This is the only LM CD I own. I bought it without knowing anything about the singer or the songs, and it has permeated my brain. I hear the songs before I fall asleep, and then again when I wake up, and I even hear them in my head at work. I have been recommending this CD to nearly everyone I know. "Marco Polo" makes me wish I knew how to belly-dance. Was this review helpful to you? 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: Voice of an angel , February 20, 2005 Reviewer: la_solinas (see more about me) from Westminster, MD United States I refer not only to voice quality, but to the material that that voice sings. Loreena McKennit's "Book of Secrets" is an auditory treasure, a lush collection of songs that conjure up incense, velvet drapes, medieval castles and exotic lands. Written as a result of the wanderlust that took her across the world, her "mosaic" is a musical treasure. The prologue is a hint of what's to come, with eerie, drum-accented music and soft singing (nothing more complicated than "la" and "na"). "The Mummer's Dance" is a haunting, almost mystical trip: "Who will go down to the shady groves/and summon the shadows there." Then we lapse into the steady melancholy of a monastary in "Skellig," where we hear a lament of many years and of endings ("the daylight is almost gone/the birds have sung their last/the bells call all to Mass"). "Marco Polo" is an exotic instrumental interwoven with a Sufi melody. Then we go into the realm of poetry, where the tragic poem "The Highwayman," about a bandit and his doomed sweetheart, set to rising music. "La Serendissima" is a steadier, less sad melody. "Night Ride Across the Caucasus" is reminiscent of "Dance," because of its hauntingly surreal imagery. And "Dante's Prayer" is a surefire way to stir your tears, with the funereal music and unspeakably sad chorus: "Cast your eyes to the ocean/cast your soul to the sea/when the dark night seems endless/please remember me." Loreena McKennit's music has a depth that many other singers like Enya and Charlotte Church lack; there's a feeling of weight and history, which is only made greater by her use of material like "Danyte's Prayer." Part of her skill is in taking various bits that she acquired across Asia, the Middle-East and Europe, and weaving them together into a tapestry of sound. Violins, drums, mandolins, mandolas, pianos and cellos are included in the music (there are apparently electric guitars as well, but I can't figure out where they are). My main complaint with this album? It's too short! There are only eight songs, and while the richness of them is overwhelming, I was left hungry for more. Nevertheless, those who are searching for something intriguing and archaic-feeling should listen to "Book of Secrets." You will come away with the song of angels in your mind. Was this review helpful to you? See all customer reviews... Customers who bought titles by Loreena McKennitt also bought titles by these artists: Enya Lee Holdridge Laura Powers Secret Garden Clannad Explore similar artists So You'd Like To... be an image consultant for goblins : by Heidi O'Brien , writer and image consultant to the otherworldly Own the very best instrumental CDs available... : by Andrea Bellagio , DMX Radio, 5000 Channels Worldwide listen to a mix of music that repels ignorants!_! : by iwaia , Musical heathen angel! Listmania! All the Best New Age CD's Ever (According to Me) : A list by Sophie Loubere , Artist/highschool student My Loreena Collection : A list by chroi , Celtic fan 8 reasons to love Loreena : A list by Heidi O'Brien , Image consultant for goblins Browse for music in: Styles > International > Celtic Styles > New Age > Celtic New Age Styles > New Age > General Travel > Music for Travelers > Celtic I have listened to this recording, and I want to review it. E-mail a friend about this item . 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