A 2LP of a Western orchestra performing the gorgeous melodies of Ethiopian classical music. The Ethiopian scale is known for being distinctive, and some say it even resembles Japanese enka. (There's even an urban legend that Ethiopian soldiers brought tapes of Japanese enka home from the Korean War, and it spread from there.) Of course, the brilliance of Mulatu and Emahoy is now fully recognized in the underground world too, and hearing those melodies played on piano and strings, well, a strange and marvelous music has been born.
Though it's framed as an attempt within the so-called classical music tradition, the plainspoken beauty of those Ethiopian classical melodies really catches you off guard. At its core it shares everything with Emahoy's music. Not exactly DJ material, but this is one to cherish and listen to for a long time. It's not post-classical but straight-up classical, though the calming effect is very much there.
Wonderful. (Original Japanese text by Shhhhh)