This Majestic Land [3:33] With The Prague Symphony
So You [3:54] With Martin Tillman
Romance For Violin And Orchestra [4:35] With The Prague Symphony
Lachrymosa [2:46] With Heidi Fielding
Beloved [3:06] With Kenton Youngstrom
Renouncement [5:14] With The Prague Symphony
Jude`s Theme [4:35] With Eugene Fodor
Nimbus [4:08] With The Prague Symphony
Elegy (for Joan) [4:18] With Andrea Bauer
Pie Jesu [4:03] With Heidi Fielding/Dwain Briggs
Farewell [3:12] With Harold Moses/Heidi Fielding
The Parting [7:48] With Vangelis
The Majestic Land -Music Video 4:40
The search for solace involves a difficult reconciliation of conflicting emotions, pitting one’s need to grieve at odds with a heavy-hearted realization that life, however diminished, must go on. Using an audio palette of grays and dark blues, Michael Hoppe offers Solace as a balm for the soul during such times, "where the dark clouds in life give way to the glow of eternal hope and peace." The clouds never fully lift during the 12 tracks of Solace, which appear to progress in a stages-of-mourning manner. The effect can be moving, even lovely (particularly the grand orchestral opener, "The Majestic Land," one of four splendid selections involving the Prague Symphony -- recorded remotely via an Internet link, of all things). The prevailing mood is melancholy but not quite maudlin; two angelic arias ("Pie Jesu," which Hoppe had written for the memorial service of his wife’s mother, and "Lachrymosa") are tearless, reverent expressions that aspire to the divine. The closing moment of "The Parting," a retooled but otherwise ordinary composition from 1986 that involves Vangelis, finally yields a sense of closure. For those in a state of bereavement, Hoppe’s Solace may offer you comfort. --Terry Wood
