Ms. Radigue's Mila is Milarepa, the 11th century Tibetan Yogi. His place in sacred history is etched into the Kagyu "Whispered Transmission" lineage of Tibetan Buddhism; he is one of the sect's so-called Four Pillars. It is claimed he built and founded the large, nine-storey towered monastery in Lhodrag. His story is one of spite, revenge, sorcery and murder, as well as redemption, extreme self-deprivation and eventual enlightenment. He is often depicted with a greenish tone...for much of his later life he supposedly subsisted on a diet of nettle tea, a practice that tinted his skin.
Radigue spent over 20 years studying Milarepa's life, songs and poems, this 1984 recording being one of many works from this period. Robert Ashley narrates the story of the dream-inspired titular journey, while Lama Rinpoche interprets Mila's song--poems that, it is said, would erupt spontaneously from the Yogi's lips in times of enlightened states of consciousness. Radigue scores the polyvocal narrative with an unyielding yet gentle field of drone.
Dreaming into action...
Very nice, I hadn't heard this one. Radigue is a true original.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! And her collaborators here are so spot-on. Thanks for the note.
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