A lion's roar sets the tone for this continuation of Andreas Vollenweider's ever-evolving creative vision. This music for electroacoustic pedal harp, cheng, synthesizer, solo voice, chorus, percussion and a variety of other instruments is so unique and multi-textured that it tends to defy description. If pressed, I'd term the offerings on this album a fusion of the best of jazz and New Age elements with flavorings from Africa, the Orient, and somewhere far off-planet. Energizing and calming, ethereal and grounding, tantalizing and satisfying, it is an unexpected blending of extremes into a truly artful soundscape that transports you to a world free of woes and full of magic. Beginning with "The Trilogy" and "Down to the Moon", Vollenweider continues his musical journeys here, and then enhances his signature sound in ever new and intriguing ways in "Eolian Minstrel", "Book of Roses", "Kryptos" and "Cosmopoly".
