Disc 1
1 Whisper
2 Daichi
3 Tabiji
4 Wave of San
5 Golden Mask
6 Fairy Of Water
7 Sampona Dance
8 Toward the East
9 Maya Magic
Disc 2
1 Sumerian Magic
2 Inca
3 Wonderland I
4 Pray For Being
5 Sitara Iv
6 Mori No Tami
7 Pharaoh
8 Wonderland II
9 Main Theme NILE
10 Sumerian Magic II
AN ANCIENT JOURNEY was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best New Age Album.
Although this set is entitled AN ANCIENT JOURNEY, in the hands of Kitaro history is only half the story. The musician creates an atmospheric sense of space, and refuses to clutter it up, leaving one to feel that he's speaking as much about the future as the past. At the very least, he suggests that the spiritual truths unlocked by ancient civilizations have yet to be fully realized.
Of course, this drama is also achieved by conventional Kitaro methods--the electronic droplets of "Whisper," or the orchestral sweep of "Maya Magic," for instance--but less so than in other productions. For the most part, this is an understated, imagistic album, one that roams freely through time and space.
This two-disc set featuring 19 compositions is a wonderful glimpse into the great civilizations past through the eyes of musical pioneer and Grammy Award winning composer, Kitaro. In An Ancient Journey, Kitaro takes his audience on a trek to worlds far away. Listeners embark on a mysterious crusade, witnessing \"the texture, life and spirit of the world\'s ancient people.
\" Traditional Middle Eastern and Chinese instruments in addition to one of his favorite technological advances, the analogue synthesizer, make An Ancient Journey a melodic voyage, which is vintage Kitaro. In addition to his signature arrangements, the recording features a new addition to Kitaro\'s musician family, Kristin Kanda on flute.
Kitaro was commissioned to record the accompanying soundtrack to the NHK television special, \"Messages From the Past\". An Ancient Journey continues this campaign, which spawned the creation of the 2001 Grammy Nominated release, Ancient.
Recorded at Mochi House, USA and Japan.
Personnel: Kitaro (various instruments); Kristin Stordahl Kanda (flute, alto flute).
NAPRA Review (07-08/02, p.56) - "...Along with his magical synthesizer, Kitaro adds traditional Chinese and Middle Eastern instruments...to create varied and richly textured sound pictures..."
