JD Walters - I, Omar

Inspired by "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam," J. Donald Walters (aka Kriyananda) embraces a lustrous (as opposed to licentious) spiritual interpretation of the Persian poem. "Here with a loaf of bread beneath the bough, A flask of wine, a book of verse--and Thou, Beside me singing in the Wilderness..." has often been interpreted with literal voluptuosity; Walters views the verse spiritually, with both love and divine ecstasy. Using eleven variations of an eight-measure theme (lovely yet strong enough for a hundred repetitions), Walters offers a balmy and exotic musical experience, with a modest tip to Scheherazade, but never showing one's navel. Read More