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Located in Istanbul, a place Christians and Muslims worshiped
and fought over the "Hagia Sophia" is one of the
greatest temples in the world. The song "Hagia
Sophia" is embellished by elements of both Byzantine
chanting and Middle Eastern instruments.
The song "Healing" is based on
a traditional Andalusian lullaby, which in some cultures was
sung to heal wounded souls. This rare process of reconciliation
can be a much needed path to conflict resolution.
"Legacy" juxtaposes samples of
historic public speeches given by four former American presidents;
Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, JFK and Ronald Reagan, two Democrats
and two Republicans.
The main theme in "Metamorphosis"
comes from Psalm 5 written by Ali Ufki, originally Wojciech
Bobowski, protestant 17th century composer who later converted
to Islam and who in his time represented a "musical bridge"
between East and West. The voices of a Persian singer and
a Turkish imam are representing a peaceful musical resolution
to longstanding Shia-Sunni divisions in Islam.
The song "Hiroshima" is dedicated
to the legacy of the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear
attack that led to death of as many as 140,000 people. We
have used samples of President Truman's voice from his public
speech given after the atomic bomb release and an archived
recording of the traditional Japanese Imperial Palace Music
Department recorded sometime during the Second World War.
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