New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On her latest recording, Equilibrium, top new age keyboardist Kerani uses her music to honor the women of the world, feminine energy, important women in history, and female traits and talents. "I want to see a return to the original perfect male-female balance of harmony and equality on our planet," she says.
"With this album I wish to bring homage to all women who took it upon themselves throughout history to go against the tide," explains Kerani. "I pay tribute to those who showed intellect, vision and courage, especially when they defended their causes, followed their calling irrevocably, and were persecuted or even killed for their exceptional knowledge and perseverance. May their spirit shine brightly forever!"
Using her piano and synthesizers in conjunction with an array of orchestral instruments played by accomplished European musicians, Kerani creates musical storytelling that captures people, places, moments in history and passionate feelings. Occasionally she adds subtle vocalizations to further create a mood. With Equilibrium, her fourth album, she solidifies her position as one of the top keyboardists, composers and arrangers in the neo-classical and new age music genres. Her previous album, Arctic Sunrise, went to #2 on the international Zone
Music Reporter Chart for this type of music, got airplay on hundreds of radio stations worldwide, was a Top 10 album on the annual ZMR rankings and won the ZMR Neo-Classical Album of the Year Award.
Kerani's albums -- Equilibrium, Arctic Sunrise, The
Journey and Wings of Comfort -- are available as CDs and digital downloads worldwide at a wide variety of online sales sites including CDbaby, Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, CDuniverse, Spirituelemuziek (dot) nl (Belgium and The Netherlands), Silenzio (dot) de (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and Redeye.com.au (Australia). More information about Kerani is available at her English-language website, kerani (dot) nl.
"The concept for the Equilibrium album, and the title track, comes from my dream of a world where the male and female energies are in balance and in harmony, where men and women accept and respect each other as they are and treat each other as equals," Kerani says. "The music on this album honors the 'Highest Feminine Energy' -- the energy that increases the flow of love in the universe with unconditional oneness and understanding, and with an empathy that vibrates through the hearts of all."
Quan Yin is an East Asian deity of mercy and compassion, who dedicated her life trying to end suffering. The tune "Fragrant Mountain" is named after the place where Quan Yin meditated in a temple. The slow piano and cello piece "Anchoress" honors deeply religious women in medieval Christianity who chose to live lives of prayer and mortification, but also helped people with advice and prayer. The composition "Boudicca,
Heart on Fire," which captures a Celtic and Roman atmosphere and builds in power and intensity, was inspired by the queen of the Iceni tribe in Celtic Britain nearly two-thousand years ago, who led a homegrown army against powerful Roman invaders.
The music of "Hypatia's Universe" pays tribute to the Greek mathematician, astronomer and philosopher Hypatia (AD 360-415) who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, excelled in literature and science, and headed the Neoplatonic School. Historians wrote: she "far surpassed all the philosophers of her own time." The lyrics of "O Aeterne Deus" were written by Hildegarde von Bingen (1098-1179) a German mystic, visionary, abbess, composer, author, healer and nutritionist. Starting with a medieval sound featuring a female choir and organ, the song builds with piano, synth and drums to a climactic finish.
Kerani says, "'Lady's Grace' tries to capture the beauty and elegance of women, and is inspired by the fashion, customs and traditions of the European courts of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was the age of long gowns, petticoats, intricate hairdos, wigs and snuffboxes, but also a time of courteousness, etiquette and grace." "Avane" celebrates the miracle of life -- the conception, growth and birth of a baby girl -- as more female energy enters the world. "The Wyse Wytch," which includes Kerani reciting the names of herbs in Latin, is a tribute to the poor souls who were accused of being witches and were killed (often burned to death) during the witch-hunts throughout
Europe and North
America between 1450 and 1750.
Kerani played piano and synthesizers on the recording, handled all the female vocal parts, and also arranged, orchestrated and produced. She is joined by special guest musicians including violinist Wilfred Sassen, violist
Joanne Wigmans, cellist Joep Willems and trumpet player Jos Gijsen. Some of the musicians are known internationally, such as shakuhachi flute player and recording artist Rodrigo Rodriguez; guitarist (acoustic, electric and dobro) Romain van Beek (who studied at Maastricht Academy of
Music and has composed with Mark Knopfler); and flutist and vocalist Jan Mertens.
Kerani was born in Belgium to a Hungarian father and German mother, and Kerani currently lives in the south of The Netherlands near the Belgium border and the area where she grew up. "As a child I listened to the great classical composers like Mozart, Liszt, Schumann and many others." Her family got an old piano when she was four. "I was strangely drawn to that weathered old thing. Slowly I taught myself to play and I discovered the magic of composing music. The rise of electronic music in the late Seventies and Eighties was a revelation to me -- Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis, Kraftwerk,
Electric Light Orchestra and Mike Oldfield. These new sounds boosted my inspiration. In 1986 I teamed up with a couple of studio musicians to record the instrumentals 'Seagullsong' and 'Oblivion' which I released as a single. It got regional airplay and the B-Side became a theme song on
Radio 2 Flanders."
She performed as the lead vocalist and keyboardist in the band Liaison in the city of Ternat where they mostly played the popular music of that time. Kerani moved to Italy for about three years where she taught English language courses (she speaks English, Dutch, French, Italian, Hungarian and German). She wrote and published a book of children's stories called
Cherub ("it tells the story of a little angel who helps children"), and also re-orchestrated 15 children's songs for an instructional DVD for disabled children. Kerani composed the soundtracks for several documentary films commissioned by the Historical Society of the Roerstreek, and she also scored the documentaries "Antarctic Inspection" and "Rothera" made by the NWO (Dutch
Institute for Scientific Research). In addition, Kerani has performed in concert with Terry Oldfield.
Kerani released her first album, Wings of Comfort, in 2011; The
Journey in 2012; and Arctic Sunrise in 2014. All three recordings received positive reviews and strong airplay.
A decade ago Kerani began broadening her spiritual journey. "Without abandoning my Christian faith, over the years I have been expanding my spiritual horizon by reading books by Ute Kretzschmar, Drunvalo Melchizedek,
James Redfield, Steve Rother, Deepak Chopra, H.H. the Dalai Lama and Paulo Coelho -- to name just a few. When I began meditation, I felt I grasped the essence of spiritual life," Kerani states.
"As I created the music for Equilibrium, I felt the power, passion and presence of all the women who have populated our planet through the millenniums. I felt Hildegarde's faith and vision, Bouddica's strength and determination to save her people, Quan Yin's love and compassion, Hypatia's intellect and fascination for science and the universe, and the religious devotion and solitude of the anchoresses. The male-female equilibrium was in perfect harmony at the time of Creation. I hope and pray for its return."
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