Sanctuary of Light By Peter Sterling

 

Sanctuary of Light

By

Peter Sterling

Written by

Steve Sheppard

 

The resurgence in the Harp as an instrument of choice in the new age music genre has been a most pleasurable thing to witness, and it is albums like Sanctuary of Light by Peter Sterling that make the experience even more idyllic.

The starting composition is a perfect example of the fluency that Sterling has been known for over many years, and the track The Light Within is utterly ethereal in all its glory, a gentle flute is within the mix of the harps great majesty, and the light vocalisations are simply perfectly angelic.

Divine Reflection would be one of my personal favourites; here is a piece that has great depth and such wonderful textures, a gentle and natural narrative can be found here; listening to this track, and even this entire album, is like being as light as a feather and floating on the breeze of life through a vast green forest.

The serene nature of this album is highlighted by many beautiful moments, one of those would be this next piece entitled Light in Your Eyes. The flute works in wonderfully fluent ways here, gentle and with a slight native style too, while the Harp of Sterling just keeps the soothing dance going at all times.

One of the longer tracks on the album is up next at just short of ten minutes and is entitled This Path I Walk. The lush and slowed ambience created here by the artist is deeply meditative. This track would be perfect on a night time playlist, a sleep enhancer indeed, but for us eager avid listeners of stylish music, there is much to admire in this tranquil composition of great colour and peace.

From the long form, we now move to the short and a light little offering called Forevermore, this offers us a calming segment of just two minutes, but even in that time it still charms us into a heavenly reverie.

Time is now on hand to dive head long into the Pool of Love, how blissful can music be that one is utterly and so deeply captivated by such a beautiful arrangement like this? It would be very easy to visualise Sterling sitting by a small pool playing his harp, while all around him nature flows in the energy of life’s rich tapestry.

There is an expression that fits this piece perfectly it is “It does what it says on the can”. Welcome to the penultimate offering entitled Seventh Heaven, this in my view is probably one of the best compositions that Sterling has ever composed, the slow but creative elevation on this composition and its hopeful and empowering motifs are sublime, and for me it is one of the tracks of the year with ease.

Sterling says about Shores of Eternity, that it came to him in a dream, an opportunity to create free flowing ethereal music, from the Harp and multi-instrumental variances, to the very heart of you the listener. The duration of this piece is 4:44, which transcribed using Numerology means you are not alone and the angels are with you, I’m guessing you won’t get a nicer way to end the album than that.

Sanctuary of Light by Peter Sterling has to be the most meditative and calming album I have heard this year without doubt. The delicacy and care with which this release has been manifested is beauty on its own, but each and every arrangement has been given a perfect amount of attention to enhance an almost spiritual experience at its conclusion, an album that is indeed both uplifting, but comforting at the same time, and of course completely recommended.