Yuval Ron – Four Divine States of Mind (Metta Mindfulness Music, 2020)
Multi-instrumentalist and composer Yuval Ron combines sacred Buddhist chants with world music elements on Four Divine States of Mind. The four states include loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy or empathy (mudita) and equanimity (upekkha).
The album includes four musical pieces, one for each divine state, and each piece features a remarkable female vocalist.
The album opens with ‘Metta,’ featuring the Middle Eastern vocals of Persian-American singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer Chloe Pourmorady. This track has Indian and Middle Eastern influences and includes sections in Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic mawal. The musicians are: Chloe Pourmorady on vocals; Alam Khan on sarod; Rachel Valfer on mawal; Somnath Roy on ghatam; Malek Vossough on ney; Yuval Ron on ud; and the Blair Studio Singers children choir conducted by KC Daugirdas.
Next is ‘Karuna,’ which has a deep flamenco flavor, featuring celebrated Spanish flamenco singer Estrella Morente. The verses are in Spanish and the choruses in Sanskrit. It is a fascinating piece that you could describe as Buddhist flamenco. The lineup is Estrella Morente on vocals; Adam Del Monte on guitar; Yuval Ron on ud; Jamie Papish on udu; Manuel Gutiérrez on backing vocals; and the Blair Studio Singers.
Track 3 is the joyful ‘Mudita’. The singer here is Deva Premal, a German world fusion vocalist who is well known for introducing Sanskrit mantras to larger audiences. Mudita has an intense Indian zest. Musicians include Deva Premal on vocals; Pandit Nayan Ghosh on sitar; Somnath Roy on percussion; Yuval Ron on ud; and the Blair Studio Singers.
The last piece is the mesmerizing, mystical ‘Upekkha’ with the fabulous Mongolian singer Uyanga Bold. This track includes the lead vocals of Uyanga Bold; Hirokazu Kosaka and IKKYU Archers group performing the Sanskrit Chant of the Heart Sutra, along with bell and wooden sticks; the Divine Sutra String Ensemble with cello soloist Dennis Karmazyn; Yuval Ron on transfixing keyboards and strings orchestration; and the Blair Studio Singers.
Buy the digital edition from amazon or the CD from Metta Mindfulness
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Thank you for sharing Four Divine States of Mind with your readership, we hope the wisdom of the Brahma-Vihara will become better known through the divine voices of these beautiful and diverse vocalists, resulting in a more peaceful future for us all.