Eternity

Anaya (Tania Mara Botelho) has fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing alongside a live symphony orchestra with the creation of her new album, "Eternity." Anaya is a very prolific composer and musician who has had an extremely varied life, but I have to admit that this is the first of her many recordings that I’ve heard. The seven-track album features a virtual collaboration and real-time recording in cyberspace between Anaya Music in her native Brazil, a live symphony in Prague, and Steve Salani at Orchestra.net Studios in Los Angeles. Anaya and Salani composed and arranged five of the seven pieces (Anaya composed the remaining two) and recorded them with the symphony to create a “harmonious, uplifting passage into the soul of music, playing the symphony of the universe.” To further quote Anaya, “The essence of Love is Eternity. Love transcends time….Music becomes a gateway to the realization and integration of our deepest feelings of love, grief, fear, joy, and peace.” The music itself is warm and inviting, soothing the soul and relaxing the spirit. More ambient than melodic, it works beautifully in both the background and the foreground. "Eternity" begins with “Dharma,” a serene piece performed by the full orchestra, but led by violin and cello. Visual and cinematic, it’s a composition that would be excellent in a soundtrack. “New Skies” opens with the sound of running water (possibly a stream or waterfall) and ethereal orchestral sounds that create images of a peaceful, shimmering landscape where everything is fresh and green. “Cosmos” is also very cinematic, expressing universal themes of love, peace and unity. “For Love” has a very relaxed tempo and envelops the listener in warmth and healing tenderness. “Love’s River” begins as a keyboard solo before the orchestra joins in, keeping the keyboard in the forefront of most of the piece. Tranquil and untroubled, it’s something of a lullaby for adults. “Gaia” includes the soothing sound of birds singing in perhaps the most ambient of the tracks. Feelings of open space and quiet beauty along with gentle breezes and warm sunshine massage away the cares of the day. “Once In Time” brings the album to a peaceful close, leaving the listener feeling refreshed and renewed. "Eternity" was a very ambitious project that has succeeded well in expressing the timelessness and universal qualities of love.

I’ll start with the wonderful playing dynamics – so good as to get the best out of the instrument on tracks like ‘ONCE IN TIME’. Effects are put to good use too, as evident in ‘COSMOS’, excellent progressions and arrangement can be seen all over ‘FOR LOVE’. ‘LOVES RIVER’ has some fantastic melody lines that encapsulate the uncertainty, ups and downs, and the rough and stormy, smooth and soft characteristics of love! Very well delivered!

While I have enjoyed Anaya’s previous keyboard-based albums, her new release, “Eternity,” in collaboration with a live symphony orchestra, brings out the richness and dimension of her stirring compositions, taking the music to another level all together. Anaya’s desire to elevate the human spirit is deeply felt in every note of this inspired recording. Although she has many albums to her credit, Anaya’s lifelong dream has been to record with a symphony orchestra. On “Eternity,” that dream has finally become a reality. To quote from her liner notes: “This unique production features a virtual collaboration and real time recording in cyberspace between Anaya in Brazil, a live symphony orchestra in Prague, and Steve Salani at Orchestra.net Studios in Los Angeles. The symphony orchestra combines members of the finest ensembles in Prague, including the Czech Philharmonic.” This is indeed a unique production that utilizes the latest in interactive technology in a way that would have been inconceivable not that long ago. The album begins with a sweet violin playing over a string section with a neo-classical feel. As it evolves, the sound of harp and flute add a celestial ambiance. There is a heartfelt warmth to the composition that makes for wonderful welcome into Anaya’s musical world. The soothing sound of a babbling brook paired with subtle strings carries the listener along in its flow on track 2, “New Skies.” In trying to describe the first half of track 3, “Cosmos,” the thought that comes to mind is that the music creates a feeling of being held in the embrace of a loved one. It seems to envelop you providing a sense of comfort and peace. At about half way through, the sound of orchestral bells, percussion, and woodwinds add to the strings with a feeling of awakening like a warm Spring day with the earth thawing out and coming back to life. In a tribute to the spirit of the Earth, a track called “Gaia” reflects a contrast between sounds that are ethereal and those that are more terrestrial, including chirping birds and natural elements, perhaps integrating the energies of Mother Earth and Father Sky. One word that came up for me many times while listening and thinking of how best to describe this music is “cinematic.” I could easily imagine any track on this album as being a film score. One of the things that I most appreciated about this recording is that the orchestra was often quite subtle, while being exquisitely expressive in its understatement. Another aspect that stood out to me in Anaya’s music is the sense of warmth and loving heart energy that comes through in every song. This is not something that can just be added to a composition like an ingredient in a recipe, but is a genuine quality that flows from the being of the composer and their attunement to the source of that love. This is certainly one of her strong points, both as a musician and a person. To read a full-length feature article on this album, as well as others, please visit: MichaelDiamondMusic.com