The Miho, to me, is beyond a museum,
but I have yet to find the right words to describe it.
It seems like a living organism,
celebrating not only the past, but the present and future as well.

Paul Winter

The Miho and Me

The Miho is like no other museum on the planet. It is a great honor to have been invited to create music celebrating the Miho Museum. The challenge has been profound; to create an album that would reflect the multi-faceted dimensions of the Museum, with its interweaving of the ancient and the contemporary, of art and nature, and of East and West.

I imagined gathering an array of voices, both instrumental and human, from across Asia, symbolizing the diversity of cultural traditions represented in the Museum, and then exploring ways these voices could interplay with our Western instruments, in a kind of ‘Miho Consort’. I listened for instruments that have a particular yearning quality, and I sought out “rare bird” musicians whose playing has an organic blend of the wild and the sublime.

Paul Winter

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artist
Paul Winter Consort
Eugene Friesen
Steve Gorn
Don Grusin
Paul McCandless
Arto Tuncboyacivan
Paul Winter

engineers/mixers
Akira Kato & Dixon Van Winkle

producer
Dixon Van Winkle

53rd Grammy Award for Best New Age Album

Disk 1

Many Paths to Paradise

The title was chosen to honor the diversity of ancient cultures. Each of these solo voices act as spirit-guides for the listener’s imaginary journey across the vast landscapes of Asia.

Disk 2

Shangri-La

Shangri-la is the realm of harmony, where voices come together in various ensembles. For musicians, an organic experience of ensemble playing can be a kind of paradise. And perhaps, Shangri-la, Xanadu, Shambhala, Heaven, or whatever you might call it – is not so much a place as a state of being.

Disc I

MANY PATHS TO PARADISE楽園に至る多くの道

  1. Saxophone　サクソフォーン
  2. Eurasian Wind and Bansuri　ユーラシアの風とバンスリー
  3. Sarangi and Dhruba　サーランギとドゥルバ
  4. Arto (“Before It’s Too Late”) 　アート(“ビフォア･イッツ･トゥー･レイト”)
  5. English Horn (theme from “On the Steppes of Central Asia”)イングリッシュホルン(“中央アジアの草原にて”のテーマから)
  6. Koto筝
  7. Frame Drums (“Cedar Grove Dance”) 　フレームドラム (“シーダー･グローブ･ダンス”)
  8. Duduk (“I Miss You Every Day”)　ドゥドゥック(“アイ･ミス･ユー･エブリデイ”)
  9. Yangjin (“Words of Wish Fulfillment”)　ヤンジン(“ワーズ･ウィッシュ･フルフィルメント”)
  10. Heckelphone　ヘッケルフォン
  11. Sarangi (“Callings”)　サーランギー(“コーリングス”)
  12. Arto (“Singing to the Mountains”)　アート(“シンギング･トゥ･ザ･マウンテンス”)
  13. Saxophoneサクソフォーン

Disc II

SHANGRI-LAシャングリラ

  1. The Welcomeザ･ウェルカム
  2. Kivaキヴァ
  3. Koto Spring筝の春
  4. Elephant Danceエレファント･ダンス
  5. Whale Ragaホエール･ラーガ
  6. Love is Not in Your Mindラブ･イズ･ノット･イン･ユア･マインド
  7. Twilightトワイライト
  8. Andante (from Sonata #2 in A minor for unaccompanied violin)アンダンテ(無伴奏ヴァイオリン･ソナタ第2番イ短調より)MIHO MUSEUM 設計者 ＩＭペイに捧げる
  9. Remembering　リメンバリングMIHO MUSEUM 創立者 小山美秀子に捧げる
  10. Saturday Night in Peach Valley　サタデイ･ナイト･イン･ピーチバレー
  11. Song of Mihoソング･オブ･ミホ
  12. Morning Sunモーニング･サン

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Music inspired by a picture book

Beauty brings comfort.
Beauty enriches and cleanses
It’s important to let people know beauty does exist;
like sunlight, air and water,
which is indispensable for all entities.

Yoh Shomei

LEGEND OF PEACH VALLEY

Illustration: Yoh Shomei/ Music: Kuroishi Hitomi

Ocarina, harp, erhu, panpipes, cello, violin, guitar, piano, percussion, voice etc.
Harmonious notes created by an ensemble of various instruments.

12 Tracks

  1. 美しの里
  2. 風景の稜線
  3. やすらぎが降りてくる午後
  4. 愛へのトビラ
  5. やさしさの波紋
  6. さまよう途
  7. 天空に守られて
  8. 桃の谷
  9. 光と静寂のデュオ
  10. 美しの里（Windy Version）
  11. 古代からの贈り物
  12. 奇跡の地～LEGEND OF PEACH VALLEY

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THE WORLD OF BEAUTY

Illustration: Yoh Shomei/ Music: Kuroishi Hitomi

In a world where peace is desired, beauty soothes and enriches our souls.
The World of Beauty Part II, with two songs composed by Yoh Shomei.

6 Tracks

  1. 美しの里 The World of Beauty
  2. 奇跡の地 A Believing Heart
  3. 美しの里 [Instrument]
  4. 奇跡の地 Legend of Peach Valley [Piano Solo Version]
  5. 美しの里 The World of Beauty [Vocal less]
  6. 奇跡の地 A Believing Heart [Vocal less]

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