Illuminated Manuscripts

Track Listings

1. Illuminated Manuscripts

2. Passages

3. Nocturn

4. The Seven Stages

5. Shimmer Valley

6. The Call

7. Early Light

8. Passages Beyond

9. Alchemy

10. Enter the Descent

11. Expansion/Contraction

12. Sanctuary

13. Glow Temple(The Key)

14. Afterlife

15. Nocturn II

16. The Curve

17. Early Light II

Editorial Reviews
-Marty Hornstein / Executive Producer, Star Trek "Nemesis"
... a virtual feast for the senses. I recommend it with all my heart.

Product Description
Mystical and evocative, "Illuminated Manuscripts" embraces the ancient in a modern context. Pulsating trance grooves, exotic violin lines, and haunting chants are just some of the elements used in this work. Fritz Heede has brought together a blend of electronic synthesis and exotic acoustic instruments creating a rich tapestry of sound.

Conceived as the score to "Illuminated Manuscripts" the video DVD featuring sacred and organic animations by John S. Banks and released by Artek Images.

Illuminated Manuscripts

Illuminated Manuscripts,Fritz Heede,Magical Eye,World/electronic music including arabic violin, doudouk, world percussion and harmonic toning, creating a rich tapestry of sound. Mystical and evocative ... embracing the ancient in a modern context.

Tracks:

In My Dreams
Parallel Universe
My King
Sky High
Phoenix
Now I'm Here
Everything
Sweetest Fruit
Fateful Day
Rise
Evening Prayer

Product Description

Nijole (nee-YOH-luh) writes sensual melodic songs with mystical landscapes, exotic twists, and lyrics to uplift and inspire. Accompanying her delicate lead vocals, she performs layers of Lithuanian background vocals, hinting of the choirs she grew up with in Chicago. The production of Fritz Heede features gifted players on ethnic percussion, stringed instruments, flutes, violins, as well as classical cello, electric guitars and synthesizers. Overall, Parallel Universe is a powerful journey for the heart and soul.

Customer Reviews:

Parallel Universe~Nijole Sparkis.......2005-12-22

I just love this CD....I'm in a sad place now and it smoothed me and made me feel better.I'm telling all my friends about this CD.

Touched Me On All Levels.......2005-12-11

What I love about this CD is that it is great on all levels. The music and production are fabulous, with exotic instrumentation. The vocals are beautiful, they have great tone and depth and the words are meaningful. The notes and melodies are interesting to listen to. Overall the whole CD is passionate and uplifting.

Fabulously Woven Styles.......2005-12-04

What a beautiful, dreamy, exotic, album!
I think I've been waiting a long time to hear this music!
I knew I was going to like it from the first amazing guitar riff
- a cross between Chris Isaac and something Middle Eastern like what Jimmy Page would come up with, set against a backdrop of poignant silence. And then you hear Nijole's voice almost whispering -- You rarely hear a voice so soothing and sensuous, but so expressive - her voice is audibly painting a picture with its subtle shades of emotional expression -- and then the music suddenly sweeps up and out into a lavish chorus of siren
song! And then she transports you to some ancient ancestral place when she suddenly goes Lithuanian on ya...! Good stuff... sent shivers down my back. And the girl's got a range, too - check out the unbelievably high notes in "Rise" - I couldn't tell if it was the flute until I heard it playing alongside her vocal,
except much LOWER!

So I thought, of course the first song is good, the second song is good... but I'm sure all the weak songs are going to be towards the end. Not so!! Every song is wonderful.
Each song is different from each the other - one more pop, one more ethnic, one almost jazzy and the last one is almost classical, though this one is the most unique to me - truly Nijole found a completely unique voice in "Evening Prayer".
But somehow no matter how different each song is from the other, the whole album is held together with Nijole's own unique style. She is continuing the Peter Gabriel tradition -- writing pop songs with a different vocabulary, borrowing from exotic influences but still unmistakably pop (or "art pop", as some like to call it). Great melodies that stick with you -- I'm constantly singing a different song in my head. And the words are speaking to our emotional experiences, as well as offering a positive philosophy. She has a unique insight into our psychology...perhaps into her own soul?

And certainly Nijole has found an equally worthy partner in Fritz Heede who did the production -- very lush, very exotic, walking the fine line between ethereal, airy and otherworldly on the one hand, until he brings you crashing down to earth with some wild guitar riff or pulsing ethnic percussion, carving out a style all his own. Each song is like a dramatic piece with a perfectly meshed musical score underlying the meaning - each like a little movie... The musicians on the album are all
very top-notch - always fresh, always creative, nothing clichéd in any of the musical prases or arrangements, which is certainly welcome in today's musical
environment! All in all, I can't help loving this album,
I really look forward to my drive now, knowing that it's going to be really special

Nijole sparkles!.......2005-11-19

Sparkis' cd is a rare combination of original material using contemporary musical references as well as folk sources. Sparkis combines her diverse influences and sources seamlessly. Highly recommended!

A Parallel Frequency of Sound.......2005-11-17

... At your reach...
Nijole's voice and Lyrics defy category, they send us on a musical ride yet unparalleled! It's a virtual cave where the ethnic meets the electric, where time-space line fades... where all is yet forming before it materializes in the Universe on a Time and Space line. Find out for yourself.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding music

Illuminated Manuscripts
Fritz Heede
Manufacturer: Magical Eye
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Mystery of the Sphinx
Ritual Path
Illuminated Manuscripts
An Ancient Muse
Sacred Spaces

ASIN: B000093HPX
Release Date: 2003-03-29

Tracks:

Illuminated Manuscripts
Passages
Nocturn
The Seven Stages
Shimmer Valley
The Call
Early Light
Passages Beyond
Alchemy
Enter the Descent
Expansion/Contraction
Sanctuary
Glow Temple(The Key)
Afterlife
Nocturn II
The Curve
Early Light II

Album Description

Mystical and evocative, "Illuminated Manuscripts" embraces the ancient in a modern context. Pulsating trance grooves, exotic violin lines, and haunting chants are just some of the elements used in this work. Fritz Heede has brought together a blend of electronic synthesis and exotic acoustic instruments creating a rich tapestry of sound.

Conceived as the score to "Illuminated Manuscripts" the video DVD featuring sacred and organic animations by John S. Banks and released by Artek Images.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding music.......2004-07-16

Fritz Heede's CD Illuminated Manuscripts is the soundtrack from the DVD of the same name. The DVD is an outstanding work with beautiful video animations by John S. Banks to match Heede's luxurious audio. I highly recommend the DVD also.

The music is a fusion of world music, trance, and New Age, with hints of Enigma and Dead Can Dance. It is a delicious blend of traditional instruments like sitar, oud, douduk, and ethnic percussion, with vocal overtone chants, modern keyboards and guitar. Heede does a fantastic job of creating a lush tapestry of sonic textures and rhythms that feel ancient and modern all at once. He manages to make it sound sophisticated yet tribal at the same time, no mean feat.

I immediately started using this music for meditation and visualization. I had the DVD first and was so impressed by the music that I got the CD to save wear and tear on the DVD. I also use the program feature on my CD player (which is better than that on my DVD player) to program a specific sequence of songs for different meditations or magickal work. This music has a deeply spiritual feel, and I find it works very well for my style of meditation.

I find the music and the recording very well done. I think Heede is very good at composing this type of music, and another CD of his, Mystery of the Sphinx, is very nearly as good as this, although with fewer cuts. Both were done as soundtracks, this for Bank's animations and Mystery of the Sphinx for a TV show.

I highly recommend this CD if you like this kind of music. I find that very few CDs excite me as much as this one does. It is very much worth having.

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