In 1994, keyboardist
Michael Hoppe
and flutist
Tim Wheater
won accolades for their album
The Yearning
, which garnered
CD Review
's CD of the Year honors. For
Wind Songs
, the duo set the musical key to suit
Wheater
's many ethnic flutes, then improvised with "no previous rehearsing or mindset." The album opens with
"Between Cave and Cloud"
; mountains quake and skies shudder in extended Oms, a gently mournful lament for the Earth.
switches from Native American to silver flute for
"Silence of the Stars,"
as sleepy-eyed and seductive as
Scheherazade
; sparkling chimes signal outbursts of shooting stars, then a melody strokes with infinite tenderness.
"Stray Bird"
moves up in tone with its greener feeling, like the bursting of an Irish spring. Most cuts include songs from animals -- eagle cries, chattering squirrels -- while
"On Wings of Sleep"
lulls with a gentle brook. The tone throughout is like a nocturne: steady heartbeat, unfettered breathing, alert to reverence. Here, a troubled soul can find peace in the night.
Richard Burmer
added subtle synthesizer magic to the final mix. ~ Carol Wright