The Veil of Whispers
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 4.8
Michael Foster, Editor at Ambient Visions
Thierry David is a composer, director and producer who hails from Paris, France and who studied music at the renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston. Thierry David's latest effort is called The Veil of Whispers that was recently released by new age record label Real Music. Thierry also has two other titles available through Real Music called Zen Pause and Zen World. Right from the beginning of the album as the first track opens with an ethereal voice floating out of your speakers at you accompanied by strings, harp and kettle drums the listener is drawn into David's peaceful world which is one that is sure to please those who are looking for brief respite from the tensions of the work a day world. While the music is not always as mysterious or as slow of a tempo as this opening track David does blend and mix the tracks so as to maintain the mystery and the serenity of the overall theme even though individual tracks may vary somewhat in musical intensity. I've always appreciated an artist who can skillfully combine seemingly disparate musical elements into a homogenous whole that is more than the sum of its individual parts but still also able to stay true to the overall feeling of the album. The Veil of Whispers is difficult to categorize as an album within a certain musical style of music and so I will not attempt to do that in this review. Rather I will try to give my impressions of the various styles that it covers during the course of its 62 minute length and let the reader decide exactly what that means to them. A couple of the songs are rather short in comparison to the majority of the songs on this album and in my mind they almost serve as interludes between the larger selections of music. After having listened to ambient music for quite a number of years with some single selections that are 20 or 30 minutes long I tend to think of compositions that are around the 3 minute or under range as being short. Scene Through the Mist, The Veil of Whispers and A New Memory tend to fall into this shorter category but make no mistake, they are brief but still enjoyable as stand alone compositions and definitely "earn their keep" as part of the flow of this album. One of my favorite songs on this album is track 8 which is called Persuasions's Dance which clocks in at 5:54 which is closer to the average song length for this album. Persuassion's Dance is a dreamy yet rhythmic piece that features some laid back grooves that builds on a foundation of bells and what sounds like a sampled guitar or pedal steel guitar that is splashed throughout the song to offer the listener some colorful sounds to punctuate certain sections of the song. The piano is the main instrument throughout and acts as the glue that holds these unique elements together within the framework of this song. The song ends as it began gently and with the sound of bells fading away. I think of an album like The Veil of Whispers more as a showcase for the talents of what Thierry David is capable of. When it comes to taking a variety of styles and combining them into something that doesn't sound disjointed or piecemeal Thierry proves he is more than up to that challenge as he so aptly shows us with each song on The Veil of Whispers. Rather each composition is like a square of material that makes up the pattern of a beautiful quilt. In the end it represents a work of art that is viewed or in this case listened to as a single musical expression that shows the listener the overall design that is achieved through the various tracks that make up the whole. Thierry David interweaves the music on this album in an impressive manner while challenging you the listener to allow the ebb and flow of the thirteen tracks on this album to take you on a sonic journey. He challenges you to open up to the sounds of electric guitar on the song Ecstasy or the exotic voice that serenades you on Orient Priestess as simply vehicles to convey you through the landscape that he has laid out for your trip. Thierry David obviously enjoys his work and his skills are on display in these well crafted songs that he has chosen to include on this album. Artists have to be careful of throwing everything they have into a single project because it runs the risk of being fragmented and lacking any kind of cohesion. The Veil of Whispers avoids this problem by offering the listener a wide range of musical experiences as they listen but always keeping the compass pointed towards home. Thierry David certainly enhances his reputation with this release by offering us a sound palette that has a little something for everyone. I'll let you be the judge of how you'd like to classify the style. Who knows maybe you might even decide that classifying music by type isn't something you want to do anymore. Maybe good music is simply good music. AV recommends this disc. Michael Foster, Editor Ambient Visions
Veil of Whispers
An interesting roundabout way to getting to a greatest hits of sorts as the committed muso revisits his back pages to re-record his faves and weave them together into a musical story line. With well- honed chops being put to their best and highest use, this is one of those truly cinemascope recordings that can really be best appreciated with headphones and no distractions. A link to a lot of Euro composing traditions, David opens the ears as well as the soul in this new age extravaganza that’s a million miles away from what new age was once upon a time. Hot stuff.
Kathy Parsons
The Veil of Whispers Thierry David 2011 / Real Music 62’37” The Veil of Whispers is the third Real Music release from French musician/composer Thierry David, and is a collection of thirteen pieces the artist considers to be his “most significant,” re-recorded and compiled to become the soundtrack to David’s own fantasy world. Thierry David has lived for extended periods of time in different parts of the world, including time spent as a student at the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, and the musical influences from various cultures are a natural component of his music. In addition to David’s keyboards and piano, he is joined by by Claude Samard and Nguyen Le on guitars, Steve Shehan on percussion, and Audrey, Jade, Juvie, and Marcia on vocals. The Veil of Whispers is a very enjoyable journey through a vast and diversified musical landscape that features a melding of Eastern and Western musical traditions. The opening track, “Scene Through the Mist,” is a darkly haunting piece, perhaps from a time long ago. Audrey’s voice casts a spell and the ambient music suggests a mysterious setting that is not without an element of danger. I really like “L’Invitation au Mystere,” with its gentle but hypnotic rhythm and simple, floating melody. “Attraction Beckons” features Jade’s voice as the lead “instrumentalist.” Her sultry voice and wordless vocals send the music soaring with layers of simple ambient instrumental accompaniment. Occasionally, a guitar takes the melody, but this is mostly Jade’s piece. “Pastel Footprints” is an intriguing vocal duet, although no vocal credits are given for this track. A mysterious element still prevails, but so does a feeling of contentment and ease. “Orient Priestess” again features Jade, but this time the style of the piece is more akin to Chinese opera. “Persuasion’s Dance” is another favorite. The rhythms are gently hypnotic as a variety of colorful sounds wash over them. Love it! “Sigh of the Goddess” is a magical piece that features three of the female voices floating above pastel washes of instrumental sound. Very soothing and peaceful. “A Familiar Groove” brings us to the end of our journey, pleasantly spent and feeling good. If you enjoy cinematic music that presents a soundtrack for the imagination, this is a great selection! It is available from most retail music outlets online and wherever Real Music’s releases are available in stores. Check it out! Kathy Parsons MainlyPiano.com 6/19/11
Serge Kozlovsky
This music stirs the soul and awakes the imagination from the first chords. You deeply plunge into the world of fantasies and aerial dreams. This realm allures you and it is very comfortable to be in it. It is full of subtle nuances and barely perceptible rustles. And this exciting world is harmonious where all the energies are in the balance. Thierry David is one of the great names in the new age music genre. The renowned master gives the listeners a generous gift by releasing his newest album “The Veil of Whispers”. The music of this project will be a perfect background but it deserves to be listened to very attentively. As a result you will never want to stop its sounding because it is filled with living energy and each tune is so different from the previous one. The composer masterfully mixes various ethnic influences in his music and wraps them into the modern synthesizer cover. He creates his own unique style with pulsating beats and cordial keyboard solos. Thierry David invites the listeners into the world of light and mutual sympathy. His album “The Veil of Whispers” can be named as moving music for body and mind. Serge Kozlovsky http://sergekozlovsky.com