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The song "Hope" will lift your spirit, while James Taylor's melancholy vocals on "Grace" will move you to tears (At first, I thought he would be horribly out of place, but his voice fits the work perfectly!). The lyrics run all over the map in language. There are lyrics in Urdu, Mali, Latin, English, French, Italian, Hungarian, Dwala, Tibetan, German, Spanish and Hebrew, but they are listed in English in the CD booklet. I gather this is Elias' way of uniting the world. The lyrics are prayers, laments and pleas for forgiveness. The themes are loneliness, war and regret.

The style of music is definately classical, but does not limit itself to European roots. There are distinct influences from Africa, the Orient, and even various tribal nuances. For someone who was raised on European Classical music, it may be a shock to the system, but it works, and it is wonderful!

I forsee this recording to be one of the hand-picked few that future generations will draw upon for inspiration. As we as a people on this planet become closer, our world seems to become smaller. Our hopes, dreams, and cultures begin to overlap. This recording is proof that, when skillfully co-ordinated they can create incredible harmony.

Highly, highly reccomended.


Little Known Treasure   May 25, 2002
 19 out of 22 found this review helpful

I have been a fan of Jonathan Elias' "Requiem for the America's" (now out of print) since 1991. After that, I heard nothing further from or about him. I was surfing for CDs from Alanis Morisette and "The Prayer Cycle" came up. Being curious and noting that it was a Jonathan Elias project, I played a few of the samples. Unbelievable!!! Much like Adiemus' "Songs of Sanctuary" much of the singing is wordless. Instead, it is vocal interpretations of the poems written by Elias and performed to his musical compositions. No artist is on this album by chance. Clearly he had a vision and knew who to invite. What occurs then, is a wave of vocal emotion that is unarguably beautiful.

And here is what I found to be the ultimate hidden treasure in this CD ... the poems themselves.

I remembered these words from Requiem, " ... In our innocence, the world is young and strong / Beating at the center of perfection is the heart of man ... " and in reading the poems he wrote for "The Prayer Cycle" came to realize that his view of the world had changed a great deal. For track 6: INNOCENCE he writes, " ... Under a sky of innocence, we are now all dying, in a slow black rain. Was it failure of Man and Angels? Was it a failure of love? ... "

If you're looking for beautiful music and depths of meaning, then I highly recommend this for your collection.


Amazing Grace does Jeremiah?   January 11, 2000
 15 out of 16 found this review helpful

I don't claim to know much about what makes music 'great.' There is a part of me that is sure that whatever it is, this CD probably doesn't have it... but then, if this isn't 'great,' who cares? The massive blending of a variety of cultural traditions may or may not work in terms of musical theory-- but it sure does work on an emotional level. I STILL get shivers on Track Three, "Hope." There is something essential about this CD that will haunt any listener for the rest of his or her life. Here, lyrics that echo the ancient prophets Jeremiah and Ezekial blend with an "Amazing Grace" of sorts, drawn from virtually all cultural traditions, and do for life at the turn of the millenium what no other recording has managed to do-- capture the core of our collective spirit.


Spirituality without religion   June 18, 1999
 14 out of 17 found this review helpful

This CD is modestly self-described as "a choral symphony in nine movements", when a more accurate description might be "a revelation in world music". The featured artists Alanis Morissette, James Taylor, Linda Rondstadt and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan lend their voices in foreign languages that flow and ebb through this beautifully somber and contemplative piece of work.

Fans of Alanis may agree with me when I say I think Alanis achieves with her voice the sense of "eastern spirituality" she aimed for (but somewhat missed the mark on) with her sophomore release "Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie".

This is not "pop" music to be sure, but a soundscape of spirituality that puts me in mind of Peter Gabriel's "Passion". If you are longing for music to provide a backdrop to your introspective, what's-wrong-with-the-world-today moments, this is a great choice.


Unfortunate . . .   March 28, 2002
 14 out of 40 found this review helpful

The aspects of this music that makes it so wonderful and calls forth so many raving reviews, are the up-lifting choral voices and stirring classical arrangements that have their artistic foundation in cultural catholicism. These piece are of a style inspired by a love that would suffer all for others.

However, this style is used here for a kind of trite universalism and politically correct sops that are in direct opposition to the faith that originally inspired this compositional style. It is a dishonest work, sort of like a TV commercial that uses John Lennon's IMAGINE to sell cars - hardly the vision behind the music! Yet the controversial bits are in Hungarian! So the listener is unaware of the meaning of the songs.

For example the piece called FAITH is seemingly about a mother who is seeking forgiveness for aborting her child. The lyrical sentiment is devoid of any sense of the tragic reality of this event and yet the musical style evokes the LOVE that was so great it suffered cruxifiction for others. Hardly in accord with the sanguine sentiment of a mildly apologetic woman who killed her child! This is what I mean by dishonest - the music is artistically relating the moral discomfort felt by the mother to the heroic and mystical self-sacrifice found in the story of Jesus - it cheapens the music. The lyrics are in Hungarian, below is a transalation.

My unborn forgive me
I only wish I had the strength to bring
You into this world
More faithful

Listening to these lyrics, you might be fooled into thinking that the meaning was something much deeper and in accord with the passion of Jesus.

For those who love this musical style, check out Arvo Part's PASSIO for the real deal and leave this work aside.