Transcendence Through Sound
A Meditative Journey Through the Holy Spheres:
“The sound vibrations and overtones harmonies that are in between the musical notes in this album provides entry into a sonic vortex”
Adam Del Monte
“Kabbalistic meditation music for healing and well-being.”
Yuval Ron
“Music that takes you out of the matrix of Time and Space to the experience of Singularity*”
(*from Physics-Mathematics: a point at which a function takes an infinite value, especially in space-time when matter is infinitely dense, as at the center of a black hole.)
Dr Richard Gold
Track 1: Blessings from the Tree of Life
Track 2: Soul Awakening
Track 3: Meditation for World Peace
Blessings from the Tree of Life is based on the Hebrew names of the 10 Sefirot of the Tree of Life and Hebrew words: peace, love, abundance, truth, security, and joy.
Soul Awakening is based on the Hebrew text of the Psalm’s chapters 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150.
As taught by Rabbi Nachman of Braslav, chanting these 10 chapters of Psalms is a practice for purity, cleansing, returning to the source, attunement, mending, healing, returning to a healthy path, etc. Their recitation would help in leading to an awareness of the divine presence that permeates and enlivens this world but is alas, hidden though an accretion of transgressive thoughts and actions.
Meditation for World Peace is based on the Hebrew text of the closing segment of the traditional Hebrew-Aramaic Kadish Yatom prayer, which focuses on hopeful blessings for peace.
Composed by Adam Del Monte
based on Kabbalistic formulas from Sefer Yetzira.
Oriana Falla – voice
Adam Del Monte – gtr
Fredric Riskin – Singing bowls
Arrangements by Adam Del Monte and Yuval Ron
Mixed by Yuval Ron
8D mixer: Ian Nicks
Binaural beats pulse editor: Zac Rosenblum
Produced by Yuval Ron and Adam Del Monte
Cover design: Yael Pardes
Exceutive Producer: Dr Richard Gold
(c) Adam Del Monte
(p) Metta Mindfulness Music
www.mettaminfulnessmusic.com
Artists:
One of the leading flamenco and classical guitarist/composers of
his generation, Adam del Monte has made it his life mission to fully
express himself in these two genres, transcending labeling and
convention. Always having incorporated a wide array of musical
styles in his compositions, Del Monte and has embarked on a
journey creating a unique sound and language of flamenco that is
both steeped in tradition and progressive in its openness to musical
flavors from around the world.
Del Monte has recorded for Deutsche Gramophone – the featured
flamenco guitar part in the double Grammy award winning opera
Ainadamar by Osvaldo Golijov (2006), with soprano Dawn Upshaw
and the Atlanta Symphony, conducted by Robert Spano. Since then,
he has toured this opera in, Carnegie Hall, NY, Lincoln Center, NY,
Barbican Center, London, Colorado Music Festival in Boulder,
Chicago Symphony and many more.
During the pandemic, del Monte composed and co-produced a
Virtual Guitar Orchestra piece called Relampiños
for 117 guitarists around the world featuring Angel Romero Elliot Fisk among many
other stars, creating the largest collaboration between flamenco and
classical guitarists to date.
Del Monte performed at the Marlow Guitar Series in Washington DC.
Del Monte has recently composed a first of its kind Flamenco Opera.
Llantos 1492, is an opera that is a full integration of the flamenco
and classical/operatic world in all aspects, including orchestral,
aesthetic, stylistic and rhythmic. Scenes from Llantos was performed
as a pre-debut at the piano, guitar and reduced cast of singers as
part of the Tucson Desert Song Festival at the University of Arizona,
on January 30th, 2019.
In 2019 representing the USA and with the generous sponsorship of
The US embassy, del Monte was a featured soloist and with his Duo
Deloro partner, Slovenian guitarist Mak Grgic, of the Eurostrings
International Guitar Festivals in Szeged, Hungary and Sarajevo, Bosnia.
He also has collaborated with Persian Singing legend Homayoun
Shajarian and the Pacific Symphony with maestro Carl St. Claire.
Del Monte has toured Hong Kong, China and Australia as part of the
Altamira Guitar Festival in 2019. He has been invited back to
perform in the Shanghai Guitar Festival in October of 2019.
Del Monte has composed his second flamenco guitar concerto,
Paisajes, which was debuted and commissioned by the St. Monica
Symphony in 2012. He has since performed it with the Moscow State
Symphony in Tchaikovsky Hall and the Simon Bolivar Symphony
Orchestra, in Caracas, Venezuela.
He has also recorded Avner’s Theme by film composer John Williams
for the sound track CD of the motion picture Munich by Steven
Spielberg. Other film credits include featured participations in Films
such as Knight and Day with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz;
Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, music by John Powell
and Toy Story 3, music by Randy Newman.
Del Monte has also performed with flamenco singer
Enrique Morente and the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, as well as
with Lole y Manuel.
Del Monte was both influenced by and inspired the younger
generation of flamenco performers who were beginning to depart
from the previous virtual space of Spanish flamenco.
Del Monte, too, set out in new directions, integrating years of traditional and
leading–edge flamenco training as well as expanding his
musicianship on the classical guitar. An eclectic awareness of jazz,
world music and other contemporary forms led to new, creative
renditions of flamenco repertoire.
He has been commissioned by the LA Guitar Quartet to compose a ‘progressive’ flamenco piece entitled
Cambio de Aire. He has collaborated with Yusef Lateef and the Atlanta Symphony at the
National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta GA.
His flamenco debut CD on the Spanish label Sonifolk (1998), entitled Viaje a Un Nuevo Mundo-Journey to a New World-was most favorably reviewed by Spain’s most acclaimed flamenco critic Angel Alvarez Caballero as well as Miguel Mora of El Pais an Alfredo Grimaldos of El Mundo.
Other discographies include a Mel Bay Artist Video Series, a classical and flamenco recital, and a GSP classical CD entitled Ezordio.
In 1998, Adam performed in Spain on the TV program Algo mas que Flamenco with Lole Montoya.
He composed his 1st flamenco guitar concerto Ensueño Flamenco for guitar and orchestra which he premiered in Boston with the BMOP Boston Modern Orchestra Project) in Jordan Hall, conducted by Gil Rose.
In 1999 he returned to Granada to perform in the oldest Peña Flamenca, La Plateria, as well as a tour in Switzerland with singer Curro Fernandez.
In February of 2000 he performed the Concierto de Aranjuez with the LA Philharmonic.
In June 2000, he performed at the Hollywood Bowl, once with his flamenco ensemble and once with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and classical Spanish dancer Lola Greco.
Adam performed as soloist the Concierto de Aranjuez at Disney Hall.
He has also performed the Aranjuez with the Pacific Symphony with Carl St. Claire.
In 2005 del Monte took part in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Series at Disney Hall, performing the Histoire du Tango by Astor Piazzolla with violinist Mark Kashper.
From 2007-2012 he was a member of the Falla Guitar Trio.
Since having teamed up with Slovenian guitarist, Mak Grgic in Duo Deloro, Del Monte has performed numerous concerts in Texas, Las Vegas, Northern and Southern California and Strathmore Hall in Maryland, among several venues. The repertoire that characterizes Duo Deloro ranges from traditional Spanish Romantics, more 20th century arrangements of the likes of Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Guastavino, etc. as well as contemporary flamenco arrangements of del Monte’s compositions for two guitars.
In 2008 he has performed his Flamenco Concerto and the Concierto de Aranjuez with the Ranana Symphonet, conducted by Nir Kabaretti.
First Prize Winner at the 1997 Stotsenberg International Classical Guitar Competition, Del Monte is one of the new generation’s dynamic forces in both flamenco and classical guitar. He studied flamenco and classical guitar in Spain, Israel & England. Beginning with his father, he continued his training with such famed Gypsy performers as Pepe Habichuel”, Paco Cortez, Nino Miguel &Gerardo Nunez. His classical guitar teachers were Menashe Baquiche, Israel and Gordon Crosskey at Chethams School of Music and at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England. He has also appeared as both a solo artist and group performer in major venues such as LA’s Mark Taper Forum and the Wilshire Theater; the Teatro Real and the Conde Duque in Madrid; Manuel de Falla Auditorium in Granada; New Mexico St Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe; the International Guitar Festival in Israel, GFA in St Louis,’96, La Jolla,’97 and Charleston, 99 GFA, Guitar Festival, the 500th anniversary of Columbus celebrations in Paris and Madrid.
Adam has been on the studio guitar department faculty at USC since 2000, where he teaches flamenco and classical guitar.
He has played the Concierto de Aranjuez at Disney Hall, August 2014, with the California Philharmonic, as well as with the Sunriver Festival Orchestra with conductor George Hanson in 2016.
Del Monte plays classical and flamenco guitars by Erez Perelman from Israel and Altamira Guitars. www.adamdelmonte.com
Orlana Falla is a soloist with lI the Long Beach Camerata singers where she sang Orff's Carmina Burana and Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem. She has performed under the batons of Neal Stulberg, Christopher Ocasek, Grant Gershon, Gustavo Dudamel and has worked closely with coaches Douglas Sumi, Anthony Manoli and Ira Siff.
Liner Notes and Suggestions for Meditation Practices
by Adam Del Monte
The driving force behind this music and project is the desire to
further discover connections and commonalities between all
phenomena of life. We are blessed with such an abundance of
cosmological knowledge that one must employ one’s imagination to
discover the more subtle and inner connections between the worlds
and energies of which we are made.
As a musician, I feel blessed to have a tool at my side which at any
given moment elevates my awareness in certain ways. There is a
reason why a major chord sounds happy to most of us and a minor
chord sounds sad. The evolution of western music from the Baroque
period has progressed within a rather logical expansion and
extension of the harmonic boundaries based on the overtone series
established by Pythagoras. Just as these harmonic colors exert and
solicit an emotional response (of course depending the
interpretation and expression), these responses appeal to our sense
of aesthetic, our likes and dislikes.
But what if there were a different “set of ears” inside of us that resonate with, and understand the sounds and vibrations of music
that has a different set of laws: ones based on the connection
between the Hebrew letters, the constellations and the planets and
the organs in our body? According to the mysterious and ancient book Sefer Yetsira, The Book of Creation, a cornerstone of
Kabbalistic knowledge, every letter in the Hebrew alphabet
corresponds to either a sign of the zodiac or a planet. There are
other equivalences between the letters and the organs in
our body. By connecting the laws of music, astrology and
Sefer Yetzira, I havefound the common thread between the musical 12 tone chromatic
scale, the signs of the zodiac and the Hebrew letters.
These meditations are a musical transliteration and permutation of various Holy Names of the Divine,
verses from the Psalms of David and fragments of prayers. According to the Kabbalistic tradition,
our souls are made of the energy of these letters. We are the Tree of Life
and the Tree of Life has 22 paths that correspond to the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet.
These 22 paths are the channels that connect the 10 Sefirot of the Tree of Life.
These are the 10 layers, spheres, dimensions and levels of density within us that represent
the fundamental structure of our psyche and our soul. In listening to
these sounds that have the equivalent vibrational combinations, the
power of the sounds of these words, unlocks our very own higher
vibrations and channels.
The act of actively listening to this music
in particular constitutes the technique and method of this kind of meditation. The slow
rhythms and the long spacings are gateways into the inner world of
the notes and spheres. The long sustains of the highly reverberant
guitar and Tibetan bowls are the wings upon which our awareness soars.
As a point of departure and recommendation on how to do this
meditation, I encourage you to sit as you wish with the palms of
your hands facing upward. You might also listen lying down flat or
slightly reclined. It is best to listen with headphones. Just let go and
let the sounds carry you as you pay attention to what comes up
within you. Allow these sounds and holy names to wash over and
through you.
One more active visual-listening suggestion:
Imagine the notes of the guitar to be droplets or bursts of energy.
As you hear these first notes, imagine that these droplets penetrate
your body, especially your entire belly area and then during the
sustained notes and chords, imagine the energy filling your entire
chest, lungs and heart. When the Tibetan bowls come in allow all
this energy to rise up into your head and fill it with light.
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