Anna Mailian, Treasures of Light (CCn'C Records, 2002)
Armenian Sacred Singing - now there's a Saturday night party, huh? This disc, subtitled The Spirit Of Armenian Sharakans, presents twenty sacred chants as interpreted by mezzo-soprano Anna Mailian and the group Music Masters of Armenia. The style of this music harkens back to the Dark Ages, and anyone familiar with Early European music will be right at home here. But not me.
Mailian has an exquisite voice, especially when she double-tracks herself, as on "Your Mercy Is Abundant." She is a very mezzo oriented singer, although her range seems broad even for her labeling. The Music Masters play instruments that date to the Middle Ages (like the tar and duduk), and play proficiently. The liner notes report that these songs range in age from 500 years old to almost 1500: there is a (certain) breadth to the musical styles presented, instead of the sameness that permeates much Early Music.
My problem with this disc is that it's awfully stuffy. Although the singing and playing are often stunningly beautiful, they are also rigid, and lacking in emotional depth. As these songs are sacred, and represent morning prayers and the like, there should be a bit more vigour in the performances. (Mind you, that's an argument that can be made of many modern versions of music from the old European tradition.) There is an academic feel to the disc: not stilted, per se, but rather that there is an emphasis on the presentation rather than the music. "New Flower" is presented so solemnly, and yet so lacking in any passion, that the melody, however beautiful, doesn't grip one the way it should. The liner notes are quite academic and beseech the listener to take the music "seriously," as opposed to "emotionally."
Is this the worst collection of Early Music I've endured? Hardly, it's actually one of the best. It's that it falls within that 95th percentile that takes itself far too seriously, and not far enough sensually. After all, the songs Mailian sings are the works of poets praising their God, and all his creation and wonder: they are not merely words on paper. Listen to similar collections of ancient Sacred music from Asia or Africa or the New World, and those singers have a fervor that seems lost to the European traditions. Sure, she can hit every note perfectly on "The Powerful Voice," but where is her drive, where is her passion, where is her soul?
If you are a fan of Early European Music, Treasures of Light is an excellent addition to your collection. For the rest of us, perhaps it's Sunday morning music, and a little long in the tooth at that. The studio doesn't create passion, for sure, but it also can't record what wasn't there.
CCn'C Records is here!
