Songs from the Bardo

"Paired with drones from strings and struck bowls, the multimedia artist's vivid readings from The Tibetan Book of the Dead offer the possibility of solace in sound itself".

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"Songs from the Bardo is a gorgeously articulated, 80-minute recording project. It was conceived in 2008 by Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal and American composer and instrumentalist Jesse Paris Smith after a joint performance at the Annual Tibet House U.S. Benefit Concert. Choegyal suggested they collaborate on a new approach to the work to promote understanding of its concepts. They recruited Laurie Anderson to read the excerpts and later, cellist Rubin Kodheli. In 2014, they met at the Rubin Museum of Art and improvised a performance. The following year, the group performed a shorter version at the Tibet House event. The recording, from the Smithsonian Folkways label, features Anderson reading and playing violin, Choegyal singing, chanting, and playing various Tibetan reed, string, and percussion instruments, Smith on piano, crystal bowls, and gongs, Kodheli's cello, and Shazad Ismaily on percussion".

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"Dealing with dying is a major aspect of both the sacred and secular. Songs from the Bardo is a small crack in a doorway to an esoteric yet essential aspect of Buddhism, death, reincarnation and/ or enlightenment. Laurie Anderson's warm, familiar voice narrates texts normally recited during the Chonyid Bardo (...) from (...) The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal plays traditional instruments ... Cello, violin, singing bowls, gong and piano provide a melodic, meditative and experimental sonic palette to support the narration. The text is deep, with lots of room for exploration, and so requires repeated listening, reflection and motivation to receive the full benefit, whether you are a Buddhist or not. This ambitious and well-meaning project highlights the difficulties with introducing a complex religious ritual to the non-Buddhist listener. However, the liner notes suggest that the 77 minutes is an experience that can draw the mind into the present moment, providing a framework for inner exploration. Try it out yourself, you have nothing to lose".