Lisa Gerrard
THE BEST OF LISA GERRARD
As this 13-track retrospective collection makes clear, Lisa Gerrard is one of the most individual and fascinating singers and composers in the world. Her career spans almost two decades with Dead Can Dance, award-winning motion picture soundtracks, and a series of acclaimed solo and collaborative albums. This album offers a concise and convincing insight into the various strands of her musical output.
Lisa’s musical journey began in the early 1980s when she and fellow Australian Brendan Perry formed the extraordinary and uncategorizable Dead Can Dance. Lisa’s otherworldly voice was set against Brendan’s richer tone; from the outset, they thought nothing of setting discordant electric guitars against cellos, trombones and timpani. Over nine albums between 1984 and 1995, DCD’s musical canvas expanded with every release, becoming a timeless mix of world music influences, medieval chants, folk ballads, baroque stylings, Celtic flavors and electronics.
By the mid-1990s, even Dead Can Dance’s unique range was no longer enough for Lisa’s artistic vision. Her first solo album, The Mirror Pool (1995) saw her stunning voice being accompanied by the Victoria Philharmonic Orchestra. Other collaborations followed – Duality, made with Peter Bourke, transcended musical eras and genres; later came the mournful and majestic Immortal Memory, which was written and recorded with the Irish composer Patrick Cassidy.
In recent years, Lisa has become a much sought-after composer of soundtracks – not surprisingly, given the cinematic quality of her music. Among the films she has scored or contributed to are: Gladiator, Heat, Mission Impossible 2, Layer Cake, Insider, Nadro, Ali, Whale Rider, Black Hawk Down, Tears of The Sun, Constantine and El Nino de la Luna. Lisa received Golden Globe nominations for Insider and Ali, Grammy and Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe award for the score of Gladiator, and four international awards for Whale Rider.
This album was selected and sequenced by Lisa herself; it blends soundtrack work, Dead Can Dance highlights and the pick of her solo recordings into a seamless and spellbinding whole.
As this 13-track retrospective collection makes clear, Lisa Gerrard is one of the most individual and fascinating singers and composers in the world. Her career spans almost two decades with Dead Can Dance, award-winning motion picture soundtracks, and a series of acclaimed solo and collaborative albums. This album offers a concise and convincing insight into the various strands of her musical output.
Lisa’s musical journey began in the early 1980s when she and fellow Australian Brendan Perry formed the extraordinary and uncategorizable Dead Can Dance. Lisa’s otherworldly voice was set against Brendan’s richer tone; from the outset, they thought nothing of setting discordant electric guitars against cellos, trombones and timpani. Over nine albums between 1984 and 1995, DCD’s musical canvas expanded with every release, becoming a timeless mix of world music influences, medieval chants, folk ballads, baroque stylings, Celtic flavors and electronics.
By the mid-1990s, even Dead Can Dance’s unique range was no longer enough for Lisa’s artistic vision. Her first solo album, The Mirror Pool (1995) saw her stunning voice being accompanied by the Victoria Philharmonic Orchestra. Other collaborations followed – Duality, made with Peter Bourke, transcended musical eras and genres; later came the mournful and majestic Immortal Memory, which was written and recorded with the Irish composer Patrick Cassidy.
In recent years, Lisa has become a much sought-after composer of soundtracks – not surprisingly, given the cinematic quality of her music. Among the films she has scored or contributed to are: Gladiator, Heat, Mission Impossible 2, Layer Cake, Insider, Nadro, Ali, Whale Rider, Black Hawk Down, Tears of The Sun, Constantine and El Nino de la Luna. Lisa received Golden Globe nominations for Insider and Ali, Grammy and Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe award for the score of Gladiator, and four international awards for Whale Rider.
This album was selected and sequenced by Lisa herself; it blends soundtrack work, Dead Can Dance highlights and the pick of her solo recordings into a seamless and spellbinding whole.
