Forest of a Thousand Songs By Peter Phippen & Arja Kastinen

Forest of a Thousand Songs

By

Peter Phippen & Arja Kastinen

Written by

Steve Sheppard

I must be honest here, I have now listened to this album 3 times in a row and I’m really having a hard job pulling away from it. Forest of a Thousand Songs by Peter Phippen & Arja Kastinen is probably one of the finest examples of flute and string based ambient music I have heard for absolutely years.

Arja performs so soothingly with her instrument of choice the Kanteles, a member of the zither family, while Phippen is his usual masterful genius of flute, in this case Shakuhachi and Ocarina.

From the very opening offering we are drawn into an utterly abundant world of serenity, the track is Night Born and it sets the scene perfectly for the entire release.

I cannot really say I have a favourite here as all 8 tracks would reach that pinnacle, but this next one was marvellously transcendent and called The Waters Mistress; mystical, floaty, and performed from the very depths of the soul.

The special thing about this release is that it is so easy to listen to, and tracks like Aspen Meeting, Why Do You Weep, Wooden Bark? and Sun-Bird, all have such creative narratives and are so serene in their content, it is so very easy to get lost within the tapestry of their intent.

Then we have the pleasure of And the Great Oak Sighed and the charming Risen from Stone, two tracks which are stunningly graphic in composition and performance, but the gentle and carful use of natural sounds is a blessing of layered magic.

The album concludes with the track Ten Seeds, and this flourishing, uplifting finish allows the listener to come back to their own personal dimension, having enjoyed what must be one of the best new age music releases I have heard this year with ease.

Forest of a Thousand Songs by Peter Phippen & Arja Kastinen is an album to float within whilst in dream time, it would be perfect for meditation and utterly sublime to just chill too, it is an album of outstanding natural beauty; it will become one of those releases that will be a favourite go to album for many over the eons ahead. The performances by both artists are bathed in a blissful perfection that you really never want to leave, and as such I really have to urge each and every one of you to add this entire release to your musical collections, your mind, body and soul will love you forever.