From the Sanskrit word for 'circle' or 'completion,' the title of this recording refers to a wide variety of symbols that prevail throughout several spiritual traditions. In more contemporary Western society, the concept of the mandala is used to describe the personal world in which one lives: the activities and interests in which one partakes, as well as those with whom one chooses to associate. MANDALA: such an all encompassing word makes a fitting title for a recording (a CD is a circle, after all!) of choral music themed around meditations on the wholeness of being. Singing in a variety of Eastern languages, The Esoterics have given voice to meditations of several faiths and spiritual practices, including verses inspired by Sufism (by director Eric Banks), Hinduism (by Roger Nelson and Diane Thome), Taoism (by Linda Waterfall, Mark Adamo, and Stephen Paulus), and Buddhism (by John Muehleisen and Donald Skirvin). Each of these eight self-published choral meditations has been composed in the last 15 years, and seven of these were first premiered in concert by The Esoterics. With MANDALA, The Esoterics has taken another step in its mission: to create and perpetuate a cappella choral music that embraces and illuminates texts found outside the Judeo-Christian canon, and gives voice to poetry, philosophy, and spiritual writings from around the world. |
