The Memory of Trees

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
To many people, Enya has become synonymous with new age music. Her haunting voice, clear and crisp above richly woven musical arrangements and adaptations, represents some of the best in the genre. Her performances on The Memory of Trees justify the Celtic songster's reputation. Songs like "China Roses" and "Hope Has a Place" complement the simple elegance of traditional folk music with luxuriantly layered instrumentation and highly crafted studio production. The ultimate effect is dazzling, to be sure. Whether she sings in English, Gaelic, or Latin, Enya conveys a profound, if slightly disconcerting, mix of spirituality and sensuality. --L.A. Smith

The Memory of Trees,Enya,Reprise / Wea,Adult Alternative,Adult Alternative Pop/Rock,Celtic New Age,Celtic Pop,Contemporary Celtic,Contemporary Instrumental,Ethnic Fusion,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Popular Music,Rock/Pop

The Memory of Trees

Tracks:

The Memory Of Trees
Anywhere Is
Pax Deorum
Athair Ar Neamh
From Where I Am
China Roses
Hope Has A Place
Tea-House Moon
Once You Had Gold
La Sonadora
On My Way Home

Amazon.com

To many people, Enya has become synonymous with new age music. Her haunting voice, clear and crisp above richly woven musical arrangements and adaptations, represents some of the best in the genre. Her performances on The Memory of Trees justify the Celtic songster's reputation. Songs like "China Roses" and "Hope Has a Place" complement the simple elegance of traditional folk music with luxuriantly layered instrumentation and highly crafted studio production. The ultimate effect is dazzling, to be sure. Whether she sings in English, Gaelic, or Latin, Enya conveys a profound, if slightly disconcerting, mix of spirituality and sensuality. --L.A. Smith

Customer Reviews:

If you thought nothing could beat "Watermark"..........2007-04-03

Celtic new-age singer Enya has exceeded her wildly popular album "Watermark" with the lovely "Memory of Trees."

I first heard "China Roses" and was absolutely determined that, yes, I would buy another Enya album. I was not prepared for a treat in "Once you had Gold" and "Pax Deorum." There is an instrumental-only (Teahouse Moon.)

Its cover art was inspired by a painting called "The Young King of the Black Isles" by Maxfield Parrish, an artist who Enya finds gives visual inspiration to her work.

This album won a Grammy in 1997. Nice to have another album to drift off in relaxation time. Thank you, Enya.

an album of personal relevance.......2007-03-25

This is my favorite Enya album, having to do more with a part it played in my life than just its stunning contents. I listened to The Memory of Trees constantly during a very blue period of my life, when I got my heart broken for the first time. All of the myriad emotions running through me found a voice in songs like Hope Has a Place and Once You Had Gold. Even On My Way Home tugged at my heart; it conjured up hope in the wake of a bittersweet seperation. And, if that were not enough, I felt the reverberation of Tea-House Moon and the title track in the core of my being. Through it all, there was Enya, an artist without parallel. Her grace, serenity, and raw emotion washed over me, healing my bruised and fragile heart.

Sorry for the soppy, sentimental words, but this is the God-honest truth. I like each and every one of Enya's albums, some more than others, but The Memory of Trees will always stand apart from the rest, for me personally. Some people will find the album too sad and bittersweet, but I'm convinced that more will treasure it for a long time to come.

Simply wonderful........2007-01-05

This is not another lousy Celtic New Age album - it is a genuine piece of music, well written and performed with emotion. It never fails to send shivers up and down my spine for some reason... Ever since I heard Orinoco Flow Enya has cast her spell on me. She is just so different and strange and so utterly artistic. On this album every song is as perfect as it can get on a pop record, with melodies that have a tendency to lodge themselves into my brain. I have every Enya album to date, but this one seems to be particularly special. A must for any music lover!

A gem among gems.......2006-12-04

I love Enya's music, and own several of her albums (albeit not all). This is my favorite by far. The track, "Anywhere Is," is the quintessential seeker song. Every track on this album has moved me. This artist is a gift to the world, and this album has to be among her very best.

Enya's last great album.......2006-09-13

It's hard to believe "Memory of Trees" came out 11 years ago;it has held up well over the passage of time.It's Enya's last great album before the New Age/pop of "Amarantine" and "Day without rain." Back in 1995,Enya still had her creative spark,her own voice.

I agree with the reviewer who said that this is her saddest album;it is melancholy,bittersweet,from the opening title song."Memory of Trees" is elegaic&majestic."Pax Deorum" sounds like it is from a Requiem Mass,it is a dark threnody.

Unlike the reviewer who said that this has a "disconcerting" blend of spirituality&sensuality,I don't find it disconcerting at all."Anywhere is" is a hopeful song,looking to possibilities."Hope has a place" is about love,but it is up to the listener to decide if it is romantic,platonic,etc.I've always had a soft spot for this song."On my way home" is a triumphant ending about return.This is truly a masterpiece of New Age music,a must for any Enya fan!

Average customer rating:

You'll be disappointed
Pretty good musical mix

Greatest Songs from the Musicals
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Soho
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Very Best Of Broadway Musicals
Ultimate Broadway
Only Broadway CD You'll Ever Need
Ultimate Broadway II: The Very Best of Broadway Now
Greatest Hits: Broadway

ASIN: B000077JS0
Release Date: 2002-10-21

Tracks:

Aquarius [From Hair] - Steve Brooker, NSO Ensemble, , Caroline O'Connor
If I Can't Love Her [From Beauty and the Beast] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
I Could Have Danced All Night [From My Fair Lady] - Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? [From The Lion King] - John Barrowman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
What I Did for Love [from a Chorus Line] - National Symphony Orchestra, Catherine Porter, Martin Yates
This Is the Moment [From Jekyll and Hyde] - Gary Mauer, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
All That Jazz [From Chicago] - Paulette Ivory, Julian Kelly, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett
Impossible Dream [From Man of La Mancha] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
America [From West Side Story] - National Symphony Orchestra
Written in the Stars [From Aida] - Simon Bowman, NSO Ensemble, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
Mame [From Mame] - Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Some Enchanted Evening [From South Pacific] - Thomas Allen, John Owen Edwards, Philharmonic Orchestra
I Am What I Am [From LA Cage aux Follies] - Janet Glazener, Leslie Uggams
One Song Glory [From Rent] - Sean McDermott, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Phantom of the Opera [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Ethan Freeman, Claire Moore, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
I Dreamed a Dream [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
Bui Doi [From Miss Saigon] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
As Long as He Needs Me [From Oliver!] - National Symphony Orchestra,
Time Warp [From the Rocky Horror Picture Show] - Anita Dobson, NSO Ensemble, Martin Yates,
Memory [From Cats] - Kim Criswell, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Why God Why [From Miss Saigon] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
I Know Him So Well [From Chess] - Katrina Murphy, NSO Ensemble, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
One Day More [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Peggy Sue [From Buddy Holly Story] - Dominic Curtis
Empty Charis at Empty Tables [From Les Miserables] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Dancing Queen [From Mamma Mia!] - Julian Kelly, NSO Ensemble, , Caroline O'Connor
All I Ask of You [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Andrew Halliday, , National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
We Will Rock You [From We Will Rock You] - Martin Yates

Tracks:

It's a Grand Night for Singing [From State Fair] - National Symphony Orchestra
If I Were a Rich Man [From Fiddler on the Roof] - Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra
I Talk to the Trees [From Paint Your Wagon] - Ethan Freeman, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Over the Rainbow [From The Wizard of Oz] - Gillian Bevan, , John Owen Edwards, , Royal Shakespeare Company
Bless Yore Beautiful Hide [From Seven Brides for Seven Brothers] - Hal Fowler, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Grease [From Grease] - John Barrowman, NSO Ensemble, Martin Yates
Woman in Love [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, , Emily Loesser, National Symphony Orchestra
Secret Love [From Calamity Jane] - Debbie Gravitte, National Symphony Orchestra
Quintet [From West Side Story] - National Symphony Orchestra
I Will Always Love You [From the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas] - Salena Jones, John Pearce
Money, Money [From "Caberet"] - Maria Friedman, National Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Pryce
If My Friends Could See Me Now (Sweet Charity) - Jacqueline Dankworth, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Thank Heaven for Little Girls [From Gigi] - Ron Moody, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Singin' in the Rain [From Singin' in the Rain] - Craig Barna, National Symphony Orchestra, Paul Robinson

Customer Reviews:

You'll be disappointed.......2006-09-02

Not the original artists. Very weak versions of beloved songs by marginal to downright bad vocalists.

Pretty good musical mix.......2006-03-10

Lots of great and clear vocals. I was looking for a musical mix and this has a nice sampling of many major songs but also some more recent stuff. I haven't purchased an import before but I would do it again if the opportunity presented itself. It is somewhat annoying to have three cds when I think it could have fit onto two. Still, more than I have complaints, I have compliments about it.

Average customer rating:

Recommendable

The Baroque Tribute to Enya

Manufacturer: Vitamin Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The String Quartet Tribute to Enya: Dreams
Amarantine

ASIN: B00062IELY
Release Date: 2004-10-26

Tracks:

The Memory Of Trees
Orinoco Flow
A Day Without Rain
Boadicea
Cursum Perficio
I Want Tomorrow
Tempus Vernum
Wild Child
Fallen Embers
Oiche Chiuin

Customer Reviews:

Recommendable.......2006-01-04

Fine Enya tribute album. Well known Enya songs recorded instrumental (no vocals) in baroque style by excellent musicians. Most I like "The Memory Of Trees", "Orinoco Flow", "A Day Without Rain", "Cursum Perficio" and "Wild Child".

Average customer rating:

If you thought nothing could beat "Watermark"...
an album of personal relevance
Simply wonderful.
A gem among gems
Enya's last great album

Memory of Trees
Enya
Manufacturer: Pid
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Shepherd Moons
Watermark
The Celts
A Day Without Rain
Paint the Sky with Stars: The Best of Enya

ASIN: B000005K4H
Release Date: 1997-09-09

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

If you thought nothing could beat "Watermark"..........2007-04-03

an album of personal relevance.......2007-03-25

Simply wonderful........2007-01-05

A gem among gems.......2006-12-04

Enya's last great album.......2006-09-13

Average customer rating:

Beautiful

Memory of Trees

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000BDJ1G0
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2006-08-03

The problem with Enya is that she is so consistently good. It is difficult to write a review that says something different from previous reviews (having recently reviewed "A Day without Rain" and previously "Watermark"). The same words, ethereal, ephemeral, airy, haunting, and spiritual apply to each album. The only risk is that my reviews become boring, because Enya could never be.

This CD begins with the instrumental track "Memory of Trees." While "Memory of Trees" is nominally an instrumental, there are voices that punctuate portions of the music. This opening feels optimistic, though the title feels as though it is vaguely related to forests and lands gone by. The vocals provide a chorale sound that builds and cascades around you with the feeling of great trees and landscapes greater than any of the puny works of mankind. Great beasts wander about and smaller beasts enter and exit the brush at the edges of clearings in the great forest in a celebration of nature.

The pace speeds up in the peppy "Anywhere Is." The lyrics are poetic and symbolic and are a mirror maze of mental images. As is frequently typical of Enya the lyrics seem to make sense until you attempt to understand them and then their meaning escapes your grasp. In this case the song seems to be describing the paths we take in life and the choices that we make, and whether they can be unmade, and even whether the choices take us to or from the one we love. Another unusual feature of this song is the predominant instruments which compete for attention with Enya's voice. Typically Enya's voice stands out clearly from the instruments, which in this case are mostly strings and piano.

"Pax Deorum" is somewhat ominous, and fits with the following song, "Athair Ar Neamh." Both songs are simple songs that relate to God. "Pax Deorum" translates roughly as "The Peace of the Gods," or seeking to placate the gods. "Athair Ar Neamh" translates approximately as "Father in Heaven." Note that the title of the latter song appears as a line in the former song, tying both songs together, and placing an Irish Gaelic line into a Latin song. There are moments of choral lightness in the otherwise ominous "Pax Deorum," which I believe has appeared as the background music for a commercial. The latter song is more contemplative and ethereal and Enya allows the beauty of her voice to caress and harmonize the Irish Gaelic verses.

"From Where I Am" is a relatively sedate instrumental that forms a brief piano interlude leading into "China Roses." This song manages to capture the wonder of the universe and the beauty of heaven all in one song. This song transcends the poetic to the surrealistic both lyrically and vocally. Once again Enya allows her voice to be a beautiful instrument to complement the strings and piano to create a work of aural art.

"Hope Has a Place" is the first song where the lyrics are relatively easy to understand. The concept is simple: there is always hope where there is love. The vocals are beautiful (again) and may remind a listener of the song Enya wrote for "The Lord of the Rings." This song is for romantics and candle-lit dinners everywhere.

Another instrumental interlude follows. "Tea-House Moon" has some of the most interesting instrumental effects on this CD. The mood is contemplative and traditional, though with a vaguely Asian flavor. This instrumental is the music for a heavenly choreography.

The next song changes style, again, and yet fits within the character of the album. "Once You Had Gold" seems to allude to the transitory nature of all things, perhaps most particularly life. There are lines that seem to say that things come and things go, and you need to accept the joys that you can get just from being here to greet the new day. I particularly like the last line which says that there are no promises in life, that there is good and bad and that one must make the best of any situation. The song is sung in a fairy tale style, a cautionary tale young and old.

The next song translates as "The Dreamer." The music tells you all you need to know about the words, which are surrealistic and, of course, dream-like. The ephemeral lyrics and music bespeaks an atmosphere, a feeling, a place that can only exist in our dreams, though we might wish otherwise. This song nearly achieves allowing us to be a creation of our imagination.

At last we must awaken from the fantasy Enya has woven for us. "On My Way Home" returns us to this place and time, but with a longing for the place we leave, the poetry that has been woven for us. Yet, we rejoice for we return to a place of familiarity, and still, there is the memory, yes indeed, "The Memory of Trees."

The memory of trees [Japan Import] +1 Bonus track

Average customer rating:

The memory of trees [Japan Import] +1 Bonus track
Enya
Manufacturer: Warner-Pioneer
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000K9C5JK

Product Description

Out of print import from Japan, featuring bonus track "Oriel window" for a total of 12 tracks.

Average customer rating:

The album for a romantic autumn evening
Enya Is An Angel
A DREAM MAKER

The Memory of Trees
Enya
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000ILLT
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Tracks:

Memory of Trees [Instrumental & Voices]
Anywhere Is
Pax Deorum
Athair Ar Nearmh
From Where I Am [Instrumental]
China Roses
Hope Has a Place
Tea-House Moon [Instrumental]
Once You Had Gold
Sora
On My Way Home

Album Description

Japanese reissue of the beloved Irish vocalist's 1995 & fourth album on a 24 karat gold disc limited to the initial pressing only. 12 tracks, including the hit singles 'Anywhere Is' and 'On My Way Home', plus the Japanese bonus track 'Oriel Window'. 1999 release.

Album Details

Japanese Version featuring a 24k Gold Collector's CD for Initial Pressing Only.

Customer Reviews:

The album for a romantic autumn evening.......2002-12-22

Enya is one of of the most mysterious singers in music today. I consider her to be one of the few female singers who in my opinion can still make some great angelic melodies that don't sound banal or cheap even though some of her songs are so short as to be almost like unfinished demo tapes( Will she someday produce and compose a song that is about eight ot nine minutes long). The Memory Of Trees is my second favorite CD of hers behing Watermark which I consider to be her strongest outing to date. I doubt Enya will topple Watermark to tell you the truth.

Many people say that this is a sunny album. Well, it is kind of true. The sunniness is evidenced on the title track, Anywhere Is, and the Orinoco Flow-esque On My Way Home. Generally I think of this album as an album for a cloudy, romantic autumn evening with the leaves a bright red, orange and yellow. Several songs are quite dark and cloudy but not stormy like let's say Storms In Africa, Exile, or creepy like Evening Falls. This album is a gorgeous musical journey that trancends boundaries. I find this to be like the darker companion to the sunniness of A Day Without Rain which followed this one five years later.

I usually go with the darker material that Enya does but I enjoy the brighter material as well( I love music that is dark and stormy).

The title track is a gorgeous instrumental that has Enya returning to the days of the Celts CD. Instead of the usual piano instrumental that introduced us to Watermark, Shephard Moons, and A Day Without Rain we get a song that is more synthesized and with thundering beats to bop your head to combined with Enyas multilayered vocals that starts out as a cloudy minor note and after about 30 seconds it morphs into a major note to give an impression of the sun shining through the clouds on a warm autumn afternoon. This song is more similar to the Celts than the piano instrumentals of most of her albums although this song is much brighter than the Celts title track. Anywhere Is is like the blueprint of Enyas big-selling A Day Without Rain. It's a very bright, sunny song with rhythm that could make you almost bop your head along with. This song is more legato although there are hints of the staccato pizzicato strings that would dominate a lot of Enyas A Day Without Rain. I love the quiet middle part of the song. It kind of reminds me of the quiet bridge of Orinoco Flow a few years before then. After the sunniness we head into darker, mistier territory of Pax Deorum. This song is another dark almost Gothic piece that features Enya singing in Latin with a very misty feel. In the middle of the song the rhythm pauses and the sing becomes a major note for about a minute giving an imression of the sun breaking through the dark clouds. I consider this to be Enyas best 'Gothic' song to this day. It's almost like the darker side of Heaven if you could call it that. The song reverts back into a dark misty minor note song. Athair Ar Neamh is a very sad, cloudy evening song that features Enya singing in Gaelic. This song is a very beautiful, theme for a guy who is having a lonely summer. The song ends in a major note key like the sun breaking out just before it goes down. From Where I am is a beautiful piano instrumental. China Roses is a gorgeous, breathtaking, ambient song that made me get this album. It's one of Enyas most stunning compositions to date in my opinion. China Roses is a very romantic song that brings up images two lovers walking alongside the waterfront with the red leaves falling onto the surface of a pond with a large garden of roses and a huge crystal castle in the background. China Roses is one of Enyas most brilliant songs to this day. This song is the winner on the Memory Of Trees. Hope Has A Place is a another beautiful song that is similar to China Roses although not quite as powerful or mind- stimulating but still great. This song is a song about how hope is still existant even in bleak situations. This song reminds me of How Can I Keep From Singing from Shepard Moons. Tea-House Moon is one of the best Enya instrumentals I have ever listened to. It's a very stunning song with high pitched synths in the background with electronic synths in the foreground. This song is one to enjoy when it's cloudy and the red leaves are falling to the ground. This song is one of my favorites off this CD. Once You Had Gold is one song that you probably shouldn't play if you have not had much sleep because it's one song that will sooth your soul. I fell asleep in class a few times in the past listening to this song *giggles*. This song though is great though. I enjoy it alot on a cloudy evening. La Sonadora is a very haunting song that features Enya singing in Spanish. This song is very dark and spooky although not stormy or scary as let's say Exile, Storms In Africa or the dynamite Na Leatha Geal M'Oige but this song is one of the darker songs off this album. The chants remind me a bit of Smaointe from a decade ago. We brighten up again with the closing track On My Way Home. This song that contains many elements of the 1988 hit Orinoco Flow although not as spooky as that one. This song is much brighter than Orinoco and happier. This song is like the predecessor to the brightness of A Day Without Rain that followed this one five years later...

I consider this to be one of Enyas strongest albums to date. Only Watermark surpasses this one and it's not by too much. I strongly recommend that all Enya fans buy this amazing masterpiece. It's gorgeous and an album for the soul...

Enya Is An Angel.......2000-07-24

Some people wonder if a 24kt Gold CD is worth buying. Let me tell you, being that I own the regular version as well, it's almost like going from stereo to Dolby Digital. This disc also comes with a bonus booklet with some very beautiful pictures of Enya, many I've never seen elsewhere, with japanese writing all over it. This has my 2nd favorite cover (Shepherd Moons is my first). After you see the cover and open the case the inside reveals the same picture but with her head down (as if she is crying). Pax Deorum sounds really good. Many people don't realise it was used as music for the trailer to the film, Dragonheart. One technical note for those people buying Paint The Sky With Stars to save money, when you buy it, the China Roses track is cut off by Shepherd Moons. You only get the complete fade out here on this disc. There's not more to say other than I am 25 and have been listening to Enya since I was a teenager. She's beautiful and has the voice of an Angel. I wish more female vocalists would aspire to be more like her instead of, well, you know. Bottom Line:24kt Gold Discs are worth it.

A DREAM MAKER.......2000-02-08

I am 18 and i fell in love her music. Enya makes you cry, smile, and remember the good old days. Enya should be consider as a goddess to the world.