Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #442312 in Music
• Released on: 2001-05-08

Customer Reviews

Music for the Soul
1. Forest Road
2. Merlin's Secret
3. The Beltane Fires
4. May Dance
5. Solstice Bells
6. Book of Taliesin
7. Avalon
8. Lady of the Lake
9. Book of Days
10. Across the Sea

There are moments in life when certain events can surprise you--when you least expected it, then it happens. The day this CD arrived was one of those times for me. What I was expecting was simply a Celtic CD by an unknown artist, which I'd by chance ordered through Amazon after a simple search for just any kind of Celtic CD. What came in the mail was an out-of-print CD, with music so beautiful, and by none other than one of my favorite artists; my heart had probably skipped a beat or two then. Was it fate or mere coincidence? I don't know, but it was truly amazing!

This beautiful "Celtic Passage" was composed, arranged and produced by the musically talented Diane Arkenstone. And even though this CD is no longer in print, this music is not totally lost. You can find most of these songs on another album called "Avalon: A Celtic Legend" released by Enaid. Amazingly, I found "Avalon" and wrote a review for it 3 years ago this day. And who would have thought, that there is "Celtic Passage" and that I'd be writing a review for it 3 years later.

I've enjoyed both "Celtic Passage" and "Avalon". They both are magnificent albums with beautiful instrumentation. The music on "Avalon" is more polished and brighter, which one can hear more instruments and the genteel, delicate sounds of the strings. "Celtic Passage" engages its listeners by provoking the inner feelings with its luscious sounds of piano, keyboards, and other percussions. Each of these albums, though almost having the same contemporary Celtic melodies, sounds unique in their very own ways. I've truly enjoyed listening and distinguishing their differences. "Book of Taliesin" is the only song on "Celtic Passage" that is not on the "Avalon" CD. This lovely composition, weaved together by the gentle sounds of piano and delicate strings, is my most favorite of all the songs on this CD. It is a song of simple melody, but yet this melody has an amazing effect on me. It gave me a familiar sense of peace, one that I'd felt about 4 years ago when I first listened to Diane's "Transformation" from "The Healing Spirit" CD. It was a feeling that has changed my life forever.

If there is opportunity to add these to your collection, these two album are highly recommended! Because "Celtic Passage" is no longer in print, it will be more difficult to obtain, but don't pass on "Avalon" because of this. And so, was it me that found the music, or was it the music that had actually found me? Well, one can never really tell. But many thanks Diane, for these exquisite compositions, may you continue to bring love and light into the world of others.

Another Time and Place
I stumbled upon this album about four years ago at a local Cracker Barrel. Once I listened to this album, I was taken to another place and time. A time when Pagans worshipped freely and magick was everywhere to be seen. Since hearing this gorgeous album, I have become an enormous fan of Diane and her husband David Arkenstone.

Though this album is no longer avaiable (unless you look for used copies), you can hear the same songs (just different arrangments and instruments, and song titles) on the cd, Avalon - A Celtic Journey by Eniad.