Tracklist :
1 As I Crossed A Bridge Of Dreams 20'53
Sitar [3 Sitars], Acoustic Guitar, Vocals [Vocal] – Stephan Micus
2 Borkenkind 6'45
Zither [3 Bavarian Zithers], Vocals [Vocal] – Stephan Micus
3 Amarchaj 5'16
Shakuhachi [4 Shakuhachi] – Stephan Micus
4 For The 'Beautiful Changing Child' 3'40
Sho [3 Sho], Flute [Thai Flute] – Stephan Micus
5 For M'schr And Djingis Khan 6'24
Rabab, Vocals [Vocal] – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus
Tracklist :
1 Part I 2'36
Shakuhachi [Shakuhachi Solo] – Stephan Micus
2 Part II 11'59
Zither, Xylophone [Gender], Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
3 Part III a 11'22
Sarangi, Shakuhachi, Rabab – Stephan Micus
4 Part III b 5'41
Rabab, Sarangi, Bodhrán [Bodhran], Angklung – Stephan Micus
5 Part IV 4'31
Bells [Kyeezee, Burmese Bells], Vocals [2 Vocal] – Stephan Micus
6 Part V 10'02
Zither, Guitar, Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus
Text By [Traditional Chinese Koan In Booklet] 
Tracklist :
1 Salinas Dance 5:29
Guitar [Steel-string, Spanish], Suling – Stephan Micus
2 Behind Eleven Deserts 5:10
Bodhrán [Bodhran], Vocals – Stephan Micus
3 Katut 5:28
Sarangi, Suling [Bass] – Stephan Micus
4 I Went On Your Wing 4:10
Tin Whistle, Guitar [Steel-string], Percussion – Stephan Micus
5 Over Crimson Stones 4:45
Suling [Bass], Bodhrán [Bodhran] – Stephan Micus
6 Pour La Fille Du Soleil 6:19
Guitar [Spanish], Vocals – Stephan Micus
7 The Song Of Danijar 12:36
Sitar, Vocals – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus
The title track spans one side of the original album release- and is quintessential late night music.. Instrumental, spare, deep with longing and lots of empty space.. The title is well chosen, there's a deep and timeless emotional thread throughout. The ancient reed instrument that Stephan plays - solo and multi tracked- is akin to the Indian Shenai- and is dripping with a message for the heart to decode. This music has worn well, it still sends me soaring- decades after it was released. Phil Van
Tracklist :
1 Till The End Of Time 17'30
Harp [Table Harp], Reeds [Kortholt], Zither, Guitar – Stephan Micus
2 For Wis And Ramin 18'06
Guitar, Zither, Vocals [Vocal] – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus
It's hard to tell whether to consider Micus a jazz, fusion, or new age performer and composer. He's a versatile musician who has used Bavarian, Japanese, Afghan, Irish, Spanish, North African, Indian, and Southeastern Asian instruments on different projects. There's some stunning music on this session, and it's certainly worth hearing; it's also probably not jazz. by Ron Wynn
Tracklist :
1 Dancing With The Morning 7'20
Steel Guitar [Steel String Guitar], Suling – Stephan Micus
2 Listen To The Rain 7'14
Tambura [Tamboura], Classical Guitar [Spanish Guitar] – Stephan Micus
3 White Paint On Silver Wood 8'37
Shakuhachi, Classical Guitar [Spanish Guitar] – Stephan Micus
4 For Abai And Togshan 20'05
Dilruba [3 Dilrubas / 5 Dilrubas], Classical Guitar [4 Spanish Guitar] – Stephan Micus
Composed By [Music Composed], Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus
Wings Over Water is a set of acoustic ambient creativity from Stephan Micus, a master sound designer. He uses a ney flute, Spanish guitars, Bavarian zithers, acoustic guitars, a sarangi, voice, and 22 flowerpots. This is very exotic and esoteric music. Micus takes advantage of the natural timbres and textures of these devices and creates a different kind of ambience. It is definitely not mainstream, decidedly avant-garde, and highly essential for the adventurous music lover. It is in a class by itself. by Jim Brenholts
Tracklist :
1 Part 1 7'21
Acoustic Guitar [5 Acoustic Guitars], Ney [Nay] – Stephan Micus
2 Part 2 6'04
Sarangi, Voice, Percussion [6 Flowerpots] – Stephan Micus
3 Part 3 12'49
Classical Guitar [2 Spanish Guitars], Percussion [9 Flowerpots] – Stephan Micus
4 Part 4 1'39
Ney [Nay] – Stephan Micus
5 Part 5 10'40
Percussion [22 Flowerpots], Ney [Nay] – Stephan Micus
6 Part 6 14'11
Classical Guitar [3 Spanish Guitars], Zither [4 Bavarian Zithers], Suling – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus 
Included are two long fantasias for guitars and Japanese flutes.
Tracklist :
1 East Of The Night 25'25
Guitar [10 String], Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
2 For Nobuko 22'10
Guitar [14 String Solo] – Stephan Micus
Composed By [Music Composed], Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus
Ocean is a set of acoustic ambient performances from Stephan Micus. He uses exotic instruments and techniques that give this disc electronic timbre. He combines hammered dulcimers, sho, a shakuhachi, a ney, zithers, and vocals in a swirling sound design that absolutely shimmers. The natural sonorities of these devices create vast atmospheres with organic timbres. The soundscapes penetrate and enhance brainwave activity. This great CD will appeal to fans of Robert Rich, Klaus Wiese, and Riley Lee. Jim Brenholts
Tracklist :
1 Part I 7'58
Voice, Dulcimer [6 Hammered Dulcimers], Ney [Nay] – Stephan Micus
2 Part II 19'20
Sho [4 Sho], Shakuhachi, Zither [3 Bavarian Zithers], Dulcimer [2 Hammered Dulcimers] – Stephan Micus
3 Part III 15'46
Dulcimer [3 Hammered Dulcimers], Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
4 Part IV 7'13
Sho, Soloist [Sho Solo] – Stephan Micus
Composed By [Music Composed], Performer [Played By] – Stephan Micus
Twilight Fields is a set of smooth, acoustic ambience from Stephan Micus, a master of the craft. He uses flutes, marimbas, xylophones, and ethnic percussion to generate this atmospheric experience. Each instrument has its own sonority and Micus uses a natural reverberation to strike an overtone appeal. His sound design has some remnants of dissonance and avant-garde tendencies, and, within that realm, Micus uses experimental techniques to forge space music properties with acoustic tools. This CD will appeal to fans of Riley Lee, Stan Richardson, Nawang Khechog, and R. Carlos Nakai. by Jim Brenholts
Tracklist :
1 Part 1 8'35
Dulcimer [Hammered], Zither [Bavarian], Shakuhachi, Performer [Flowerpots] – Stephan Micus
2 Part 2 8'00
Shakuhachi, Performer [Flowerpots] – Stephan Micus
3 Part 3 4'27
Performer [Flowerpots] – Stephan Micus
4 Part 4 10'00
Dulcimer [Hammered], Zither [Bavarian], Ney, Performer [Flowerpots] – Stephan Micus
5 Part 5 15'01
Zither [Bavarian], Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
Performer [Played By], Composed By – Stephan Micus
German multi-instrumentalist Stephan Micus was making his own rather idiosyncratic version of world music years before it became fashionable to do so. Micus specializes in taking ethnic instruments from all over the planet and using them, in ways that transcend their traditional contexts, to play his own moody and somewhat austere compositions. On Darkness and Light Micus makes extensive use of the dilruba, a four-stringed bowed Indian instrument that sounds somewhat like a nasal cello which has 24 sympathetic strings that set up a hypnotic drone effect behind the haunting melodies. Also featured are the classical Spanish guitar, the Balinese suling flute, an Irish tin whistle, the sho (a Japanese bamboo mouth-organ), the kortholt (a German renaissance reed instrument), various gongs, and the remarkable ki un ki, a six-foot-long Siberian cane trumpet (pictured on the cover), whose spirited blasts are created by inhaling rather than exhaling. Multi-tracking himself to create his own global orchestra, Micus freely mixes these diverse instruments in ways that draw out their universal and timeless qualities. This slow, patient, spacious music reaches down into the depths of the listener's consciousness to conjure up its images of Darkness and Light. by AllMusic
Tracklist :
1 Part 1 29'43
Dilruba [7 Dilruba], Classical Guitar [Spanish Classical Guitar], Dilruba, Dilruba [5 Dilruba], Reeds [2 Kortholt], Suling – Stephan Micus
2 Part 2 10'15
Dilruba [7 Dilruba], Wind [2 Ki Un Ki] – Stephan Micus
3 Part 3 13'10
Strings [8 Ballast-Strings], Dilruba [3 Dilruba], Tin Whistle, Gong [Balinese Gong], Sho [2 Sho] – Stephan Micus
Composed By – Stephan Micus
Continuing his musical quest across countries and cultures, Stephan
Micus visits the Cathedral of Ulm, where Elmar Daucher has been
sculpting and carving rocks of granite, marble, and basalt specifically
for their acoustic potential. Such a curiosity, where Micus is involved,
usually results in an album. The Music of Stones is indeed a curious
and deep meditation -- a spotlight on the instruments as much as the
music. It follows a formula similar to his album Twilight Fields, where
tuned clay pots were the centerpiece. "Part 1" ebbs to life with a duet
between one of these mythical stones that lays a rich harmonic drone for
Micus to solo over with his staple instrument, the shakuhachi. "Part 2"
shows off more percussive qualities by having two players with mallets
on a single stone, though the novelty of it wears thin and becomes the
one passage that breaks the spell. A tin whistle flutters around three
stone chimes for "Part 3," and the harmonics attained in this and in
"Part 4" sound like a Gamelan of gongs, bowls, kalimbas,
mbiras...anything but the Swedish black granite actually responsible.
There were no overdubs on the album, so the occasional church bells are
heard far off in the background to provide an additional element of
unscripted ambience. "Part 6" is enchanting in this regard, along with
being the only track to feature vocals (from fellow "rocker" Gunther
Federer). It makes a fitting lullaby of prayer to close out the album.
Like most Stephan Micus albums, this is not world music, but certainly
music from some foreign place within this world. You still can't get
blood from a stone, but Daucher and Micus can certainly get life out of
one. by Glenn Swan
Tracklist :
The Music Of Stones - Compositions By Stephan Micus For The Resonating Stones Of Elmar Daucher
1 Part 1 [Resonating Stone, Shakuhachi] 13:29
Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
2 Part 2 [1 Resonating Stone, Two Players] 5:24
Percussion [Resonating Stone] – Stephan Micus
3 Part 3 [Tin Whistle,3 Stone Chimes] 5:04
Tin Whistle – Stephan Micus
4 Part 4 [Solo for 3 Resonating Stones] 11:55
Stephan Micus
5 Part 5 [Shakuhachi Solo] 6:29
Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
6 Part 6 [4 Resonating Stones, Voice] 8:47
Percussion [Resonating Stone], Voice – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Producer – Stephan Micus
Tracklist :
1 Nomad Song 8'58
Steel Drums, Voice – Stephan Micus
2 Yuko's Eyes 5'51
Steel Drums, Performer [Dilruba] – Stephan Micus
3 Young Moon 5'58
Steel Drums [3 Drums], Performer [Dilruba], Suling, Performer [Kortholt], Voice – Stephan Micus
4 To The Evening Child 9'30
Steel Drums [11 Drums], Performer [Dilruba], Ney [Nay], Voice, Performer [Sinding] – Stephan Micus
5 Morgenstern 2'08
Steel Drums [9 Drums] – Stephan Micus
6 Equinox 9'47
Steel Drums [3 Drums], Performer [8 Dilruba], Ney [Nay], Performer [Kortholt] – Stephan Micus
7 Desert Poem 4'11
Steel Drums, Voice – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Tracklist :
1 On The Way 4'57
Zither [Bavarian], Strings [Sattar] – Stephan Micus
2 The First Night 5'35
Voice [22 Voices] – Stephan Micus
3 The First Day 6'38
Shakuhachi, Soloist – Stephan Micus
4 The Second Night 4'47
Voice [22 Voices] – Stephan Micus
5 The Second Day 3'32
Suling, Percussion [22 Flowerpots] – Stephan Micus
6 The Third Night 6'19
Voice [22 Voices] – Stephan Micus
7 The Third Day 5'55
Ney [Nay], Soloist – Stephan Micus
8 On The Way Back 8'58
Zither [Bavarian], Strings [Sattar], Voice [11 Voices] – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Stephan Micus is an eclectic performer. He builds esoteric walls of sound with offbeat ethnic instruments and devices. The Garden of Mirrors is a set of gentle pieces constructed largely around acoustic sounds and simple percussion. Wordless chants carry the strange atmospheres to the edges of reality. At those distant points Micus shines. Such is the stature of an experimental artist. Just when Micus seems to be as far out as he can go, he stretches the limits some more. These delightful soundscapes waver between world fusion and avant-garde. There is not a lot of dissonance. This disc will appeal to fans of Terry Riley, Alvin Curran, Polly Moller, and Jocelyn Pook. by Jim Brenholts
Tracklist :
1 Part 1: Earth 6'24
Harp [Bolombatto], Voice [20 Voices] – Stephan Micus
2 Part 2: Passing Cloud 5'13
Steel Drums [4 Steel Drums], Harp [Sinding], Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
3 Part 3: Violeta 6'42
Harp [Sinding], Voice [20 Voices], Harp [7 Bowed Sinding] – Stephan Micus
4 Part 4: Flowers In Chaos 4'36
Suling [22 Suling] – Stephan Micus
5 Part 5: In The High Valleys 5'07
Harp [Sinding], Voice – Stephan Micus
6 Part 6: Gates Of Fire 6'08
Percussion, Steel Drums [2 Steel Drums], Harp [Bowed Sinding], Shakuhachi [5 Shakuhachi], Ney [4 Nay], Tin Whistle [3 Tin Whistles], Harp [Sinding] – Stephan Micus
7 Part 7: Mad Bird 3'30
Tin Whistle [Tin Whistle Solo] – Stephan Micus
8 Part 8: Night Circles 7'38
Harp [Sinding], Voice [20 Voices] – Stephan Micus
9 Part 9: Words Of Truth 5'13
Shakuhachi [6 Shakuhachi] – Stephan Micus
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Tracklist :
1 The Horses Of Nizami 3'36
Sarangi, Talking Drum [5 Dondon], Voice [23 Voices] – Stephan Micus
2 Adela 5'43
Dilruba [22 Dilruba] – Stephan Micus
3 Night 2'48
Ngoni [Doussn' Gouni Solo] – Stephan Micus
4 Mikhail's Dream 8'20
Kalimba [2 Kalimba], Voice, Harp [Sinding], Steel Drums [2 Steel Drums], Percussion – Stephan Micus
5 First Snow 4'57
Shakuhachi [Shakuhachi Solo] – Stephan Micus
6 Thirteen Eagles 5'35
Ngoni [Doussn' Gouni], Ney [20 Nay] – Stephan Micus
7 Contessa Entellina 4'29
Voice [Voice Solo] – Stephan Micus
Text By [Poems "Contessa Entellina", "For Yuko"] – Stephan Micus
8 Shen Khar Venakhi 2'44
Dilruba [6 Dilruba], Strings [Sattar] – Stephan Micus
Traditional Georgian Chant (C. 1250)
Arranged By – Stephan Micus
9 For Yuko 8'11
Percussion [2 Flowerpots], Voice [8 Voices], Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By – Stephan Micus
Text By [Poem] – Rumi
Being a perpetual student, Stephan Micus usually makes world music by default. He breathes patience and skill into the exotic instruments he uncovers, but certainly with respectful bending of the rules along the way. Towards the Wind follows in the same exploratory tradition -- educated, but unassuming as to the nature of what an instrument is "supposed to do." Here, the album evokes an easily digestible cross section of Middle Eastern mysticism -- swirling sand dunes, rust-colored sunsets, and sacred spaces. The opening passage, "Before Sunrise," shines the spotlight on the bass duduk, an Armenian reed instrument that's typically left to accompany another soloing duduk. Left to his own devices, however, Micus coaxes some pleasant baritones out of the woodwind. Later, he unveils a 14-string guitar of his own design, which he strums in a mildly Spanish direction ("Virgen de la Nieve"). Rounding out the ensemble is a kalimba, a Chinese sattar, and a talking drum from Ghana. Rarely without his shakuhachi, the German-born composer also has his favorite Japanese flute handy for three of the eight selections on this CD. The aforementioned instruments all get a little solo time (or even an entire song), creating a global melting pot that listeners have come to expect from this composer. Only once do those expectations struggle to stay met, and it comes by way of "Eastern Princess," which almost flirts with folk-pop Americana of the 1970s -- a steel-string guitar strums quite unmysteriously through the Rocky Mountains, although accompanied by a very curious language he sings, threaded together by syllabication rather than any known meaning (check the final piece to his Music of Stones from 1989). As for the featured double-reed centerpiece, it was after hearing some recordings of Jivan Gasparian (a virtuoso on the duduk) that Micus sought him out in Armenia to be his teacher. Gasparian obliged, and it is through his influence that much of the soloing on Towards the Wind stays airborne. Indeed, Micus describes this instrument as the shakuhachi's "twin" in terms of its breathy qualities and expressiveness. Although he constantly acquires new sounds, his confidence as a musician stays intact. What results is an album of modest beauty -- noteworthy because of the instruments and the performer more than the compositions themselves. by Glenn Swan
Tracklist :
1 Part 1 - Before Sunrise 3'33
Duduk [Bass Duduk] – Stephan Micus
2 Part 2 - Morning Breeze 2'16
Kalimba – Stephan Micus
3 Part 3 - Flying Horses 8'48
Guitar [3 Steel-String Guitars], Shakuhachi, Talking Drum [12, Dondon] – Stephan Micus
4 Part 4 - Padre 3'56
Duduk – Stephan Micus
5 Part 5 - Birds Of Dawn 7'35
Kalimba [2 Kalimba], Duduk, Shakuhachi [6 Shakuhachi], Talking Drum [3, Dondon], Strings [2 Sattar] – Stephan Micus
6 Part 6 - Virgen De La Nieve 5'29
Guitar [14-String Guitar] – Stephan Micus
7 Part 7 - Eastern Princess 8'46
Guitar [Steel-String Guitar], Voice – Stephan Micus
8 Part 8 - Crossing Dark Rivers 10'32
Guitar [14-String Guitar], Duduk [7 Duduk], Shakuhachi [3 Shakuhachi] – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Stephan Micus is a composer who lives on the island of Mallorca, and is a compulsive collector of oddball musical instruments. An acoustic music purist, Micus generates unusual, almost electronic sounding textures from his collection of instruments through multi-tracking, but does not utilize anything electronic to generate the sounds. On Life, Micus plays such instruments as the bagana, tin whistle, various kinds of gongs, sho, zithers and Thai singing bowls, and uses recording techniques to build the multifarious parts played into a contiguous whole. The result is a very colorful blend of peculiar tones, gestures and voicings. Although Micus seems to release a new ECM album almost every other month, Life is the result of three years careful planning and labor, and Micus claims that the process of overdubbing is far more complex on this album than any other that he has done. Life is based on a Zen Koan, a short text which is like a cross between a lesson and a prayer. Micus sings the text in long Japanese phrases, occasionally shouting, humming or making other non-verbal vocal sounds to match with the music. As the piece unfolded this reviewer could have gone either way with Life; at times it seemed a little over the top dramatically, and at others a little too sweet and pretty. Once it is over, however, one feels rewarded, as the total effect of Life sticks together in an almost cinematic way that tells a clear story. Whether or not one finds the rarefied world of Stephan Micus appealing, Life is real music and an achievement to be proud of. by Uncle Dave Lewis
Tracklist :
1 Narration One And The Master's Question 14'26
Lyre [Bagana], Chimes [Tibetan Chimes], Chimes [Kyeezee], Sho [2 Sho], Voice [11 Voices], Gong [Maung], Tin Whistle, Zither [2 Bavarian Zithers] – Stephan Micus
2 The Temple 6'20
Singing Bowls [5 Thai Singing Bowls], Dilruba [2 Dilruba], Ney [2 Nay] – Stephan Micus
3 Narration Two 5'44
Lyre [Bagana], Voice [12 Voices] – Stephan Micus
4 The Monk's Answer 2'56
Dilruba [6 Dilruba], Voice – Stephan Micus
5 Narration Three 4'04
Lyre [3 Bagana], Tin Whistle, Voice [14 Voices], Zither [Bavarian Zither] – Stephan Micus
6 The Master's Anger 3'35
Cymbal [Tibetan Cymbals], Talking Drum [2 Dondon], Lyre [3 Bagana], Gong [Maung], Voice – Stephan Micus
7 Narration Four 4'54
Lyre [Bowed Bagana], Voice [17 Voices] – Stephan Micus
8 The Monk's Question 4'47
Gong [Balinese And Burmese Gongs], Voice – Stephan Micus
9 The Sky 4'10
Sho [Sho Solo] – Stephan Micus
10 The Master's Answer 3'21
Voice [Voice Solo] – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Artwork [Cover Photo: From The Film "Chikuzan Hitoritabi", Director:] – Kaneto Shindo
Stephan Micus' folk soundworld investigations have taken him all over the globe. He is a disciplined student of every musical instrument he encounters, and understands how to get what he needs out of them without comprising either the instrument's original purpose or history, or his own vision, and he lets the instruments (sometimes in strange combinations) speak for themselves from his inner well of inspiration and nearly egoless expression. For those interested in poetry, Micus does in his world of music what poet and translator Jerome Rothenberg (who has compiled countless important anthologies of poetic traditions from all over the modern and ancient world) does for the written and oral tradition in poetry: represents it for what it is and allows the reader/listener to experience it for themselves. The stark beauty of On the Wing is expressed by Micus using Middle Eastern and Asian instruments, from the Iraqi mudbedsh (a single reed instrument made from cane) to the long-necked and bowed Turkish sattar and the Egyptian nay. In addition, he uses the reed flute of the Balinese gamelan orchestras called the suling, the Japanese harmonica known as the sho, the double-reeded hné from Burma, the shakuhachi, sitar, the hang from the Caribbean (a new percussion instrument) and his own 14-string guitar that is able, in its various stringing formations, to create the tonalities of a sitar or other overtone instrument. The beautiful thing about On the Wing is the way Micus combines instruments, or uses them solo: his investigations never come off as academic. They are full of quiet soul and deep mysterious power. His pieces are in their own ways, songs more than improvisations, capable of being remembered after hearing them only once. His traditional excellence is everywhere here, but his lyrical sense is perhaps more defined and important than ever.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1 On The Wing 3'19
Strings [2 Sattar], Reeds [Mudbesh] – Stephan Micus
2 Winterlight 5'10
Strings [3 Sattar] – Stephan Micus
3 Gazelle 3'35
Classical Guitar, Ney [Nay] – Stephan Micus
4 Blossoms In The Wind 4'33
Strings [2 Sattar], Sho, Reeds [3 Hné], Suling [2 Suling] – Stephan Micus
5 The Bride 6'25
Cymbal [Tibetan Cymbals], Gong [Korean Gong], Gong [Burmese Gong], Percussion [3 Hang], Guitar [14-String Guitar], Guitar [Steel String Guitar], Reeds [Mudbesh], Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
6 Ancient Trees 5'16
Shakuhachi [6 Shakuhachi], Strings [2 Sattar], Strings [4 Mandobahar] – Stephan Micus
7 In The Dancing Snow 5'05
Strings [3 Sattar], Reeds [Mudbesh] – Stephan Micus
8 The Gate 4'17
Sitar [Sitar Solo] – Stephan Micus
9 Turquoise Fields 7'03
Guitar [2 Steel String Guitars], Reeds [3 Hné], Suling [2 Suling], Strings [3 Sattar], Ney [3 Nay] – Stephan Micus
10 Morning Sky 3'17
Reeds [5 Hné] – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Tracklist :
1 Rain 4'00
Pipe [6 Raj Nplaim] – Stephan Micus
2 Spring Dance 4'52
Zither [Bass Zither], Zither [Chord Zither], Zither [Bavarian Zither], Concert Flute [Nohkan] – Stephan Micus
3 Flying Swans 6'01
Sho, Voice [17 Voices] – Stephan Micus
4 Wide River 3'46
Pipe [4 Raj Nplaim] – Stephan Micus
5 Autumn Dance 3'20
Concert Flute [Nohkan Solo] – Stephan Micus
6 Golden Ginkgo Tree 5'29
Kalimba, Shakuhachi – Stephan Micus
7 The Shrine 4'38
Pipe [6 Raj Nplaim], Voice [15 Voices] – Stephan Micus
8 Winter Dance 4'50
Zither [Bass Zither], Zither [Chord Zither], Zither [Bavarian Zither], Concert Flute [Nohkan] – Stephan Micus
9 The Child 4'45
Pipe [8 Raj Nplaim], Harp [Sinding] – Stephan Micus
10 Seven Roses 6'30
Sho, Voice [19 Voices], Pipe [Raj Nplaim] – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Text By [Text In Booklet] – Leo Tolstoy
Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and musical anthropologist Stephan Micus has always created according to very simple principles; simple, not easy. On all of his recordings he has relentlessly sought to expand his musical universe by digging deeply into the sounds, traditions, and instruments of other cultures, often traveling great distances to study with masters of certain kinds of instruments. He never tries to replicate them but instead has sought to create new music from his discoveries. Panagia is his 20th album for ECM. Its Greek title reflects one of the names used in Orthodox religion for Mary, the mother of Christ (it literally translates as "most holy"). Of these 11 pieces, six are sung prayers with texts dating back to the seventh century Byzantine era. They were chosen and edited by Vassilis Chatzivassiliou. They are interspersed with instrumental pieces played mostly on stringed instruments, ranging from Bavarian zither, Chitrali sitar, Uyghur sattar (a 14-string guitar), and the bowed Sikh dilruba to percussion instruments including Chinese gongs, Burmese temple bells, Tibetan chimes and, on one song, five multi-tracked Persian nay (i.e. ney), a pipe instrument. Micus never takes a strict approach in interpreting the prayers, choosing instead to reflect a transcultural respect and honor for a female goddess drawing from a multiplicity of cultures, while fully and simultaneously utilizing the spaces, tonalities, and silences employed in Orthodox music for centuries. The effect is otherworldly. On opener "I Praise You, Unfading Rose," his baritone voice is accompanied only by a Bavarian zither. On "I Praise You Lady of Passion," he multi-tracks his own voice to simulate a 22-voice choir in Eastern mode. "You Are Full of Grace" is performed by two Chitrali sitars and six sattars, while "You Are a Shining Spring" offers chimes, bells, and two dilrubas, and the percussive tonalities shimmer around the droning bowed instruments. This is all music that emerges from silence and doesn't project so much as resonate within it. In Micus' restrained sense of dynamics, various textures communicate with one another so that sonorities emanate from the instruments, voices, and the recording environment, as well as from nature itself. Panagia is a small part of his larger body of work to be sure, but it's as different from his other recordings as they are from one another, and makes for a compelling, if serene, experience with a slow, unhurried approach that encourages the listener's own encounter with the divine.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1 I Praise You, Unfading Rose 6'41
Zither [Bavarian Zither], Voice – Stephan Micus
2 You Are The Treasure Of Life 5'03
Chimes [Tibetan Chimes], Temple Bells [Burmese Temple Bells], Bells [Zanskari Horsebells], Dilruba [2 Dilruba] – Stephan Micus
3 I Praise You, Lady Of Passion 6'26
Voice [22 Voices] – Stephan Micus
4 You Are The Life-Giving Rain 7'10
Sitar [Chitrali Sitar], Dilruba [6 Dilruba], Strings [5 Sattar] – Stephan Micus
5 I Praise You, Sacred Mother 5'08
Voice [20 Voices] – Stephan Micus
6 You Are Like Fragrant Incense 3'04
Strings [3 Sattar] – Stephan Micus
7 I Praise You, Sweet-Smelling Cypress 9'07
Guitar [14-String Guitar], Dilruba [8 Dilruba], Strings [3 Sattar], Ney [5 Nay], Voice [10 Voices] – Stephan Micus
8 You Are Full Of Grace 6'22
Sitar [2 Chitrali Sitar], Strings [6 Sattar] – Stephan Micus
9 I Praise You, Shelter Of The World 5:25
Gong [Chinese Gongs], Voice [10 Voices] – Stephan Micus
10 You Are A Shining Spring 4'29
Chimes [Tibetan Chimes], Temple Bells [Burmese Temple Bells], Bells [Zanskari Horsebells], Dilruba [2 Dilruba] – Stephan Micus
11 I Praise You, Cloud Of Light 6'05
Zither [Bavarian Zither], Voice – Stephan Micus
Credits :
Composed By, Performer – Stephan Micus
Text By [Quote In Booklet] – Lao Tsu
One of the greatest slide guitarists of the early blues era, and a man with an odd fascination with the kazoo, Tampa Red also fancied himsel...
