Resonance

One of the greatest and most prolific maestros of the New Age genre, Peter Kater has produced over 60 albums in addition to soundtracks for television, film and Broadway productions. He has received 11 Grammy nominations and received the Environment Leadership Awards from the United Nations. German-born Kater has collaborated with prominent musicians in many genres, but is perhaps best-known for his luminous recordings with Native American flutist Carlos Nikai.

His new album “Resonance” is populated with compositions that emerged from a three-month period of “deep inquiry and reflection” during which Kater experienced “the fire and ashes of self-dissolution and self-discovery, of a deep longing for connection and sustained intimacy, and a powerful surrender into and acceptance of what ‘is’….[to] share a deep resonance with all that exists.”

The music reflects the epic emotional scope of this process. It is thoughtful, contemplative, and utterly engrossing. The tracks are fairly long, allowing time for the compositions to slowly unfold. I found Track 4: Night’s Cavern [9:46 min] to be especially entrancing. The introduction features layers of gongs and low-toned bells. The piano enters with ripples of notes and riffs that emphasize a central tonality. Track 6: Venus in Pisces [9:08 min] is absolutely luminous! It wraps the listener in an exquisitely soft musical robe of velvet.

The first listen to this CD will leave one in a puddle on the floor. It’s superb for meditation and contemplation, all healing modalities, rites, rituals and especially for ritual baths!
Highly recommended – get this CD asap as a gift of personal serenity, or as a gift for someone who needs inner peace. Masterful and sublime!

~review by Elizabeth Hazel

Artist: Peter Kater
New Earth Music, 2016
8 tracks, 59 minutes
Amazon - CD $13.99, mp3 download $9.49.