Artists rarely record new versions of their music. That’s a shame, since a fresh take on a song may not only make it better – but transform it and add new perspectives to the original idea. Karen Biehl has just released a new version of her single “Echoing Canyon”. By adding vocal and violin, we get a new understanding of what a canyon is in terms of sound and atmosphere. The canyon is the same, yet everything has changed. How remarkable!
Karen Biehl has studied with former Metropolitan Opera star Thomas Hayward before completing her master’s degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is also classically trained in piano and violin. She is the creator of the “Journey to True Love“, “Journey to True Health” and “Journey to True Purpose” guided meditation series. For “Starlight Dreams“, released in November 2018, the readers and listeners here on Newagemusic.guide awarded Biehl the Best Solo Piano 2018 award. Karen also has two news singles ready; the guided meditation session called “Portal to Peace“, and “As It Was, Ages Hence“, a song that connects us with the past on many levels.
Check out both versions of “Echoing Canyon” in the beginning of Magic Piano episode:
Echoing Canyon
“Echoing Canyon” is only 2 minutes and 12 seconds long, and Karen wastes no time introducing fresh elements; the new violin is heard almost immediately. I love how she uses the “canyon space”; it is as if she is standing deep inside the mountain while playing. The sound is everywhere, like a surround effect. Notice how the violin alters the atmosphere. It is no longer just the piano who defines this space, and the sense of eeriness is replaced by something else; A violin adds an element of culture and context.
Seconds later, we are introduced to Karen’s magnificent opera vocal. The whole space is transformed. The vocal fills the canyon with a sense of humanity. The canyon is a place to be appreciated, not feared. It is a stage from which Karen is singing. It is a quite remarkable transition from the solo piano version. One thing is the same though; it ends on a high note – as we arrive in the bottom of the canyon.
In conclusion: Totally different, yet still the same; the new version of “Echoing Canyon” shows what a violin and a vocal can do to a solo piano song. The whole expression changes. Is it a better song? You decide. But one thing is certain; it is so much more. The sound of the violin is more personal, more human, than the sound of the piano – and the vocal is, of course, a human singing. The emptiness of the canyon is all gone. It is transformed into a stage from which Karen is performing. That’s a major transition!
For more information and music samples, visit maestramusica.com