18 April 2008
Life Out of Balance
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Earth Day, celebrated on 22 April each year, is a secular event with spiritual overtones. It marks the founding of the modern environmental movement in 1970, but it also acts as a substitute religious festival drawing on the spiritual yearnings of many environmentalists. This hybrid spirituality was perfectly captured in the 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi, a cavalcade of visions set to the music of composer Philip Glass. According to the film's director, Godfrey Reggio, 'Koyaanisqatsi' is a Hopi Indian word meaning 'life out of balance' and the film links the earth's degradation to our spiritual disenchantment. Reggio himself spent 14 years with the Catholic Christian Brothers order training to be a monk, while Philip Glass is a Jewish convert to Tibetan Buddhism.
We'll hear the final movement called 'Prophecies' from Glass's soundtrack, and also hear an Australian duo, Jethro and Prem Aliyah Williams who have released four albums under the name Sacred Earth. Their music is deeply meditative, drawing on Hindu mantras, their practice of yoga and meditation, and their own earth consciousness.
Further Information
Philip Glass
Homepage for Philip Glass.
Koyaanisqatsi
The first film for Godfrey Reggio's and the first film of the QATSI trilogy. The title is a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance." Created between 1975 and 1982, the film is an apocalyptic vision of the collision of two different worlds -- urban life and technology versus the environment. The musical score was composed by Philip Glass.
Sacred Earth - Tour Dates
You can find Tour Dates here for Sacred Earth's Australian tour during April and May 2008.
Music
CD title:
Koyaanisqatsi
Track title:
Prophecies
Artist: The Western Wind Vocal Ensemble/ The Philip Glass Ensemble/ Michael Riesman
Composer: Philip Glass
CD details: Nonesuch 7559 79519 2
URL: http://www.philipglass.com/
CD title:
The Way Home
Track title:
Moola Mantra
Artist: Sacred Earth
Composer: Prem Aliyah Williams & Jethro Williams
CD details: Sacred Earth Music SE004
URL: http://www.sacredearthmusic.com/SacredEarth/Sacred_Earth_Home_Page_-_Music_For_Inner_Peace.html
Presenter
Geoff Wood
Producer
Geoff Wood
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