Silphie Releases Single ‘Blossom Fairy Queen’

October 17, 2024

Blossom Fairy Queen is dedicated to our loved ones who have passed. The song was one of those gifts of a song that seemed to arrive whole. I sat down to the piano and just played and sang the whole song. The creative experience is so exhilarating when things flow like that!

Our loved ones never leave us. Energy can not be created or destroyed. I hold onto that and send you prayers and love. In turn I feel love returning to me, to us. It’s a subtle, cosmic feeling. Our perception of time is linear in modern life. So many boxes to tick along the way! I’ve missed a few. Every now and then I feel that connection to the moment, to something more, something infinite. That’s when love comes through and I know your energy goes on. You mind my life.

About

Michaele Archer is an Australian classically trained singer and composer and has performed nationally and internationally in Opera, Oratorio and concert. Michaele loves collaboration and unusual projects and highlights have included performances of “Brackish Songs” by indigenous composer Christopher Sainsbury and the first live performances of Schubert’s “Erlking” with a sand animation by Californian creator Benny Zelkowicz. Her original recording project “Galatea” was released in 2019.

Silphie is a collaboration with Michaele Archer (composer/vocal and harmonium), Rachel Whealy (cello), Giuseppe Zangari (guitar) and Gab Stelle (viola). The name Silphie comes from the ancient world’s herb Silphium which was used for everything from perfume and cooking to medicine. The latest recording project by Silphie, “Garland, the love poems of Sulpicia” is inspired by rich, raw sounds of analogue, alto instruments and ancient Latin poetry.

Sulpicia is a female voice that was lost for many years and her 6 love poems form the text for this project. Sulpicia lived around the time of Augustus in the first century BCE and her work is one of very few written by a Roman woman to survive. Her poems were published in a collection by the Roman male poet Tibullus and were originally attributed to him. Sulpicia’s Garland of poems tells the story of a secret love affair.

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Silphie Releases New Single ‘Mea Lux’

July 26, 2024

After separation and misunderstandings Sulpicia and her secret lover reunite. As she reflects on the reunion Sulpicia regrets that she was on her guard. “My love, my light” if she could go back in time she would stay the night. Mea lux is the penultimate poem in the Garland series written by Sulpicia and sets up the story of the final poem “Tandem venit amor” (At last love has come) where Sulpicia and her lover Cerinthius finally come together.

Silphie is a collaboration with Michaele Archer (composer/vocal and harmonium), Rachel Whealy (cello), Giuseppe Zangari (guitar) and Gab Steele (viola). The name Silphie comes from the ancient world’s herb Silphium which was used for everything from perfume and cooking to medicine. The latest recording project by Silphie, “Garland, the love poems of Sulpicia” is inspired by rich, raw sounds of analogue, alto instruments and ancient Latin poetry.

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REBECCA DANIEL AND FIONA JOY HAWKINS – THE LIGHTNESS OF DARK

August 2, 2019 Leave a comment

REBECCA DANIEL AND FIONA JOY HAWKINS JOIN FORCES TO CREATE THE LIGHTNESS OF DARK –A POWERFUL MUSICAL EXPLORATION OF LOSS, MOURNING AND FINDING BEAUTY AMIDST LIFE’S SADNESS

Blending New Age and Contemporary Classical Crossover Music, Daniel (Violin/Voice/Piano) and Hawkins (Piano/Voice) Will Be Supporting Their Cathartic and Healing 11 Track Album With A Tour in Fall 2019

Leonard Cohen once said, “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

Australian instrumentalists Rebecca Daniel and Fiona Joy Hawkins place this insight on the back cover of The Lightness of Dark to illuminate their creative and spiritual vision behind the project –their first dual album after many years of live and studio collaborations. The two explore the many facets of life and loss, the search for something positive in the crippling shadows and the potential beauty that can emerge from mourning and sadness

The Lightness of Dark weaves its lush, cathartic narrative via music with varying instrumentation depending on the emotions the two are expressing. The opening track “Heavenly Voices” blends string quartet (featuring The Kanimbla Quartet)with organ, piano and vocals. Other tracks feature solo piano (“Ghosts, Insanity, Angels”), piano/violin duet (“Elegy”), piano with quartet pads (“Lake of Contemplation”), string quartet only (“Interwoven Threads of Chance”), string quartet featuring piano (“Empty Moments”) and other combinations uniquely fitted for the compositions they imbue.

“We believe our album will connect with everyone because we all experience loss in varying forms,” Fiona says. “It can be the loss of youth, a loved one, a pet, your health…Life changing events where we are left to mourn because of loss. People only face their own issues when you lead them to a safe place to do this.”

Rebecca and Fiona have enjoyed a long history of collaborations and are looking forward to working with renowned Australian Producer Llew Kiek. They have performed over 50 concerts together including at the Sydney Opera House for the 2012 MusicOz Awards, New Orleans for 2014 ZMR Awardsand 2017 Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival-and Rebecca has appeared on nearly every one of Fiona’s solo albums. The two have played together as part of Fiona’s Blue Dream Ensemble, and Rebecca produced the group’s album Live at the Q.

Rebecca Daniel studied violin and chamber music with Emanuel Hurwitz and the Amadeus String Quartet at The Royal Academy of Music. She worked withTrevor Pinnock and Simon Standage, and The Australian Chamber Orchestra, and was Orchestra Leader for Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast. She has recorded and performed with, John Denver, Bread, James Galway and the Chieftains, Will Ackerman, Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand, Men at Work and INXS.

Fiona Joy Hawkins, a Conservatorium-trained pianist, renowned for her romantic, melodic songs and lush arrangements, is a prolific composer who regularly tours China and the USA and is also a member of the Contemporary instrumental group FLOW (Fiona Joy, Lawrence Blatt, Jeff Oster, Will Ackerman). Fiona’s song “Grace’ is on a 2014 Grammy Winning album, and in 2016 she won two Independent Music Awards at the Lincoln Centre in New York. She has several Best Piano Album ZMR Awards and has worked with Producer Will Ackerman (Founder Windham Hill Records and Cookie Marenco (Blue Coast Records) for hi-resolution audiophile recordings.

Soundslikecafe is proud to feature this brilliant album and the leading single Elegy appears on the July Playlist.

Checkout the entire album here