As “Phoenix” is to be released on friday 23rd february I think it is a good time to look at this song a little more. You might wonder why I wrote it, what inspired me and why I chose the instruments that I did.
I have always loved the mystical image and symbol of the Phoenix who seems to understand beyond itself and who reincarnates itself from the ashes of its former self. I took this image as I felt it is a good analogy for our human evolution and what we could do as humans in our lives. We could engage in cycles of growth, rebirthing into something finer and more wonderful as we go. From the “ash” of ordinariness we can transmute into something more aware and whole.
The instruments are used in a painterly fashion – there is the earthy depth of the viol, which somehow also manages to be otherworldly, the echoey guitar poetry creating shifting colour and the airy refinement of the duduk weaving in and out of the voice, creating a sense of shifting space and spirit.
The lyrics are the poetry of our human toil, our paradoxical sense of solidity whilst we live in an impermanent world, and our yearning for a sense of blissful peace beyond mundanity. The Phoenix represents the journey we can take: even if it is elusive and beyond what we know…..I hope you enjoy it.
Abi's World of Music 