Track Listing

1. Nenchefka's Orchestra
2. Road to Wadi el Hol
3. Ambient Winds
4. Procession at Thebes
5. The Banquet
6. Lotus on the Nile
7. Bes
8. Sunboat Drifting

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #132608 in Music
• Released on: 1998-10-28
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
Inspired by the ancient Egyptian musical world, Ambient Egypt explores the rich, timeworn sounds of surviving and reconstructed musical instruments. Over 70 minutes of music weave traditional and contemporary elements, evoking the sense of mystery that surrounds ancient Egyptian civilization.

This 2005 re-release features all original 1998 compositions remastered plus the bonus track to an Irvine's up-comming CD.

Total running time: 72.02

Illinois Entertainer, April 1999
Remarkably vibrant. Creative intermingling of contemporary and time worn compositional components.

Widdershins, October, 1999
Beautiful! This is a lovely, meditative work…spare and refined…one of my very favorite meditation pieces.

Customer Reviews

Bringing to life Ancient Egyptian music
Hello,

Ambient Egypt brings ancient Egyptian music to life.
I would rate this CD as highly as these other ancient Egyptian music reconstructions, Michael Atherton`s Ankh and Ali Jihad Racy`s Ancient Egypt. In my opinion the strengths of this CD are the use of authentic reconstructed instruments which have as Irvine states: "the potential to create new music".

He loved it!
I bought this as a gift for my partner who is big into "ancient Egypt" and the like -- far more as a layperson than as a scholar. He said the music was very relaxing and inspiring for his artistic endeavors though it also helped him get to sleep when he was already tired. The idea to try and recreate the music based on surviving instruments is a great one and avoids some of the serious errors of early archaeologists and scholars who attempted to use the actual instruments. I can't say that it is "accurate" in terms of representing a historical reality, but is a fair job of making music that can help a modern person relate to ancient Egypt. I'd probably use it as a intro to a basic history class on this period.

It's not what you think
Douglas Irvine obviously loves the sounds these instruments make; he has created a beautiful CD of "New music from ancient Egyptian instruments and surviving instrument specimens." Perfect mood music, perfect meditation music, AND - perfect "white noise" at the office. I bought my original at the Metropolitan Museum and have listened to it at least 300 times since then. I still hear something new everytime I play it.