Time of the Skeleton Lords

The monastery of Tashi Lhunpo, seat of the Panchen Lama (second only to the Dalai Lama), is probably the most prestigious exile centre of the Gelukpa branch of Tibetan Buddhism, and home to one of the leading performing groups regularly touring in the West. Building on the previous success of Dawn till Dusk (reviewed in #52), this album presents an innovative solution to the problem of recording long complex rituals by focusing on the theme of death and rebirth across a wide range of rites rather than offering extracts from a particular performance. Some prayers, such as the ‘Rus-chok Bone Ritual’ (track six), using the deceased's remains prior to ‘sky-burial, have, I believe, never been recorded before, and illustrate a style rarely heard. A powerful wall of sound is produced by rhythmic recitation in multi-layered monotones: when strongly co-ordinated tonally, the acoustic effect of this style is sublimely resonant. More common prayers are beautifully simple melodious chants sung by the 40-strong choir in a richly blended unison, accompanied at most by the regular pulsing of the rnga frame-drum. Overall, the delight of contrast is found in the subtle shifts of texture, for the Gelukpa style is restrained and predominantly vocal: when the tremendous orchestral resources of trumpets, horns, cymbals and oboes are unleashed, as they are here in the entirely instrumental ‘Durdak Dance of the Skeleton Lords’ – the centrepiece of the album – the result is scintillating.

The recording is superbly captured, and together with informative liner notes about the spiritual and cultural meanings of each item, this well-presented selection offers a very realistic, yet accessible, experience of a rare esoteric musical tradition.