In the Groves
Stories performed by Diane Edgecomb, accompanied by harpist
Margot Chamberlain. Winner of a Parent’s
Choice Silver Award! $17.00 (includes shipping and handling) from www.livingmyth.com
Reviewed by Linda Goodman
In the
introduction to this charming yet haunting CD, we are told that trees are first
and foremost teachers, and, if we listen closely, they will share their
secrets. While listening to this CD, one
does indeed feel likes a confidant, hearing the secrets of the groves for the
first time.
The
Dancing Spirit of the Birch, a Czech folktale, tells of a young girl
who knows happiness, in spite of being poor and having to work all day spinning
flax into thread. Who is the mysterious woman in white who seeks to draw the
girl from her work for a day of dance and levity? Will the girl allow herself
to be lured from the work that supports her hungry family?
From
Cornwall England, Three Green Ladies is a story centered on rituals related to
trees, and three men whose late father taught them to honor those rituals. Only
one brother heeds their father’s wisdom, however, leaving the other two to
reap the consequences of their own selfish actions.
Kansakura
– Sacred Cherry Tree features a cherry tree so beautiful that a shrine
to the God of Love is built near it. This story from Japan tells of a young
girl who resents her father’s plan to marry her to someone she does not love.
How will she extract herself from this arranged marriage when she finally meets
her true love?
Australian
Aboriginals say that the land needs us as much as we need the land. One of the
things it needs is to hear the old stories told in a sacred manner. The
Voice of the Creator is just such a story; a tale of lazy humans who
take the presence of the Creator for granted until it is too late. The Creator,
however, is benevolent and cares enough for his people to send an emissary to
lead them back to him, though not in the way you would imagine.
Evergreen,
from the Cherokee People, is a pourquoi tale that explains why some trees keep
their green leaves all year long, while others lose theirs. It is a story about
the rewards that follow steadfast endurance.
Each song
and story on this CD is thoroughly researched and expertly performed. Diane and
her accompanist, harpist Margot Chamberlain, create sweet harmonies for songs
from the Shaker, Russian, and Japanese traditions. Margot beautifully sings a
Welch tune solo and underscores each story with traditional music from the
cultures represented. Listeners will be captivated with the musical ebb and
flow that Margot has created to follow Diane’s telling from tale to tale. The
result is elegance so enchanting that it makes story magic.
Diane’s
skill at shifting from character to character within a tale is amazing. No
blunt transitions here, only a subtle change of tone or pitch, or quickening of
pace, is necessary to guide the audience from one character to the next.
Story
lovers on your Christmas list will cherish this CD as they listen to it again
and again. Do not let its soothing tone fool you, however. For all its beauty,
there is justice in the grove. Sometimes that justice is harshly dark; but
Light lingers on the edge of the darkness, beckoning all to journey forward.
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