by: James Hunter
Date: June 01, 2013
Rixa White and his music project “Silentaria” have been very busy indeed, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have “The Beginning of the End” to review. So before moving on to discuss the music, a few brief thoughts on the first question. Who is Rixa White? My thoughts on that are as follows: I don’t want to know. You see, anyone who goes to such lengths to protect their identity must have some very good reasons in doing so. Bands like Crimson Glory, Kiss, GWAR, Lordi and Slipknot have done similar and I can certainly see the appeal of having a horde of fans at your shows, and then when it’s all done, taking the mask off and walking down to the shops and being left in peace. In essence, the best of both worlds. The focus should be the music.
Now at this point I should admit to being a fan of Vangelis (who ironically first started out in prog rock with Demis Roussos) and I can most definitely blame that on the film Blade Runner. Some comparisons have been made between the two which I think is a little unfair. Vangelis is more “symphonic electronica”, more grandiose, whereas Silentaria has more of the ambient new age electronica feel to it, and has resisted the urge to throw in oddities for the sake of it.
Opening track “Emerge” gives an immediate insight into what to expect, ethereal synthesizers, chilled out ambience, and is a little “Sacred Spirit” but without the Native American chants. “The Beginning of the End” is a confirmation of the direction the album is headed in. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Mark Snow and Sylvester Levay’s work, but here there’s a very solitary feel to the music. In fact, if you cast your mind back to the old days you could easily place this music with the “3DMark” tech demos portraying very surreal scenes such as the statue in the rain (2001).
Electronica, “New Age” ambient chill music is unapologetically what it is. Silentaria / Rixa White has thankfully resisted the urge to draft in elements of dubstep, or whatever else happens to be fashionable at the time, and has remained true to his musical vision. And while I’ve mentioned his musical vision I wonder if perhaps he may pair up his music with his poetry in future works.
You can find out more from his website here: http://silentaria.com
Check out all reviews about “The Beginning of the End” album.
See all album reviews.
“Deceived” from “What’s Real?” album is featured by Bruce Gall at ”Synth Sunday” program on ARfm Radio on Sunday June 9, 2013 at 10:00 AM UKT.
“What’s Real?” and “Eastward” tracks are featured by Bruce Gall at ”Atmospheres” program on One World Radio on Tuesday May 28, 2013 at 10:00 PM GMT.
8pm UK (3pm EST) Spectral Voyages – Dave Butler
9pm UK (4pm EST) Simply Piano – Laura McMillan
10pm UK (5pm EST) Atmospheres – Bruce Gall featuring Silentaria music
11pm UK (6pm EST) The Album Show
Midnight UK (7pm EST) Music From My Alcove – SeVen (4 hr show)
Every Friday, a band or artist is featured in Musical-Things music blog and this week it was Rixa White, Silentaria. Here is the article about Silentaria on Friday May 25, 2013. Read the full article here.
This week’s special guest is multi-talented Rixa White. Read on…
Rixa proves that the art of creating beautiful melodies in music is still alive by effortlessly producing them throughout his music. His style, largely instrumental, seamlessly blends classic electronic sounds such as synthesizers and drum machines with more acoustic elements. Rixa’s pieces, which are each accompanied with a poem (on his YouTube channel), takes the form of contemporary program music with the music representing the narrative of Rixa’s poetry. This makes it particularly powerful both musically and emotionally.
This is particularly the case in ‘Sabine’, where the piano holds the main melody whilst a string countermelody weaves in and out, binding the piece together. The harmony is simple and so is the rhythm, leaving the melody somewhat exposed but totally in its element. As the texture grows, the intensity increases as the additional sound effects add a magic to ‘Sabine’ that reflects the romantic description Rixa himself attributes to the piece.
There is an old school electronic vibe to Rixa’s music; the instrumental quality reminiscent of movie soundtracks from the 80s. But it is this quality of mixing the old with the new that makes Rixa music so interesting to listen to. His music touches people’s souls and with tens of thousands of YouTube listeners attesting to this, we also agree that Rixa make beautiful music.
Here’s an excerpt of ‘Sabine’ for your musical enjoyment…
Sabine and other Silentaria tracks are available to buy on iTunes.
Are you a fan of Rixa White’s music? Drop us a comment and share your thoughts.
This contemporary instrumental love lament was formed in Rixa White’s mind while he was reading Romain Rolland’s Nobel Prize winner novel, Jean-Christophe. He composed Sabine single track with a profound sense of drama and romanticism, which differs from his usual contemplative, melodic synthesizer music. The music base is piano and violin, mixed with choirs and flute for creating a romantic blend of passion and melancholy.
True love never dies and in his desperate desire to snatch her from destruction, in need of denying her death, Rixa White tells Sabine love story through harmonies and rhythms. “Sometimes a patch of sky, large, pale blue like Sabine eyes reconnects one to an old memory. Like Jean-Christophe, I’ve dedicated this song to her and strove to call her to life in my music.” said Rixa White.
Lyrics are wonderful for expressing emotions, but to recall the unique personal memory of being in love for each listener and to awake a lost love story buried deeply inside, Rixa White has chosen to release Sabine as a Romance Electronic music track without lyrics.
Sabine track is available for FREE DOWNLOAD at http://www.facebook.com/Silentaria.Sabine
For more information please visit “Sabine” page at: http://www.silentaria.com/sabine/
About Jean-Christophe: Jean-Christophe (1904 -1912) is the novel in ten volumes by Romain Rolland for which he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915. It was translated into English by Gilbert Cannan. The central character, Jean-Christophe Krafft, is a German musician, a composer of genius whom Romain Rolland called: “Beethoven in the modern world”.
About Silentaria: Silentaria (http://www.silentaria.com) is an Electronic New Age musical project founded in 2010 by Rixa White, entrepreneur, pianist, keyboardist, composer and poet, known as “Man in White”. The project’s music combines elements of Electronic, New Age, Contemporary Instrumental, Ambient and Progressive Rock genres. It is the reminiscence of music projects such as Enigma, Yanni, Jean Michel Jarre, Kitaro, Vangelis and Era.
About video: This video is a short introduction of “Sabine” single track.
About music: The background music is the initial part of ”Sabine’ romantic Electronic music track by Silentaria.
Check out more videos in Silentaria’s Youtube Channel.
About video: This video displays a free style poem from Rixa White named “Forgotten Promises”. The main video theme is Christmas with background videos and related photo slideshow.
About music: The background music is “Forgotten Promises” which is an Electronic New Age single track from Silentaria.
About poem: The poem talks about current situation of the world in spite of promises that we make every new year to make a change.
Here is the poem. You can find it at “Forgotten Promises” poem page.
Another Christmas is coming
A new year will begin
I am looking through the window
Watching people under the snow
Some are with family, cooking and eating
Some are in the street, walking and shopping
Some are at home cleaning and decorating
Some are with friends packing and traveling
Everything seems fine
but when I look again …
Some are hungry, looking for food
Some are homeless, shivering in the cold
Some are lonely, sitting with sadness
Some are in pain, mourning for a loss
Another Christmas is coming
A new year will begin
I am thinking to myself
Is this the world we promised to build?
What happened to our world?
What happened to us?
What is going on?
Did we forget our promises?
We promised to NOTICE
We promised to ADJUST
We promised to PROTECT
Then why so much RAVAGE?
We promised to CARE
We promised to CARESS
We promised to FEED
Then why so much HUNGER?
We promised to RECEIVE
We promised to RELIEVE
We promised to FORGIVE
Then why so much REVENGE?
We promised to RESPECT
We promised to APPRECIATE
We promised to LOVE
Then why so much HATRED?
We promised to COMMUNICATE
We promised to COMPREHEND
We promised to CONNECT
Then why so much DISUNITY?
Another Christmas is coming
A new year will begin
How is it going to end?
What to promise again?
Check out more videos in Silentaria’s Youtube Channel.
About video: This video is about the masks we wear in our daily life and invites the audience to be conscious about them. It might seem impossible to drop all of them, but we always have a chance to know them, eliminate some and choose new ones consciously.
About music: The background music is “Diversion” which is the 10th track in “What’s Real?“, the Electronic New Age music album from Silentaria.
About text: The following lines are shown in this video:
What if your face is not you?
What if your face is just a mask?
a set of masks
chosen for you
This time, you choose
just one mask
your own mask
to transform your destiny
from a disfigured Erik to The Phantom of the Opera.
from a test subject to V for Vendetta
a mask to tell your story
a mask to tell the truth
Awaken the rebel within
against all other masks
to hide them all
‘One Mask To Hide Them All’
Choose your mask, Be the change
Check out more videos in Silentaria’s Youtube Channel.
Inspired by Wholeness and Emptiness philosophy, Silentaria manifests its slogan: “The Voice of Emptiness”. But how can an Electronic New Age fusion music with elements of Progressive Rock claim to be so?
Deep down inside, in places we do not tell our cool friends about, there is a part of us that loves to live different, question the beliefs fearlessly without worrying about “What comes if I do so?”. Silentaria music is intended to become in contact with that potentially rebellious part and awaken the rebel who is hiding somewhere inside.
People often consider rebellion as a destructive and vicious objection in outer world against political or social norms, but it can be a form of constructive self-criticism when it is applied and interpreted in raising questions against restrictive beliefs and mindsets.
The rebellion concept has played a significant role in the evolution of contemporary music. Concepts and attitudes along with costumes and hairstyles have expressed various forms of rebellion in music history. Rixa White, a long-haired man in plain white, hiding his face behind a white mask is Silentaria’s iconic image. This mysterious image demonstrates Emptiness on the one hand and visualizes Rebellion against all masks that we wear in life on the other hand. “One mask to hide them all” as he says in his autobiography or perhaps he needs a mask to play a true story he carries within, as Oscar Wilde noted: “Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”
It still seems a very odd move to present rebellion concept in New Age music and Rixa White might be the first New Age artist that has been raising questions and encouraging his listeners to activate an inner revolution instead of forcing them to relaxation and serenity. In fact, Silentaria invites listeners to experience the life as it is and opposes presenting any step-by-step instruction or belief system since persuading a particular constant direction will lead to conformity and obedience.
By observing and releasing the deep chronic sense of insecurity and dissatisfaction, rather than escaping, controlling, suppressing or denying it, the inner space will be unoccupied for Emptiness to descend. So, fear not and let the pure experience happen and observe both frustration and frenzy, witness them all and embrace the infinite possibilities that are unfolding from Emptiness.
Listening to multi-layered yet harmonious music of Silentaria opens a door to silence and as music depends on silence to distinguish sound, Rebellion becomes the key to Emptiness.
Listen to Silentaria’s Rebellious music; hear the quiet voice of Emptiness within.
For more information please visit Silentaria and Rixa White page.
Find out how Silentaria is a diverse approach to New Age music.
Post links on Web:
Rebellious New Age Music: Rebellion Instead Of Forced Relaxation
Rixa White, Awaken the Rebel Within: Rebellion Instead of Relaxation
Rixa White, an unorthodox artist from the new wave of New Age musicians
After a long silence, Rixa White introduced Silentaria, an Electronic New Age musical project, in late 2010.
Silentaria is a made-up name with two parts of “Silent” and “aria”, indicating a quite hymn or tune. The combination is pointing to the silence of human inner side as a temple of silence which is the source of every sound. The questions are “What does Silentaria music signify?” and “How does the music communicate with its listeners?”.
Although Silentaria music is categorized in New Age, Rixa’s music is neither therapeutic nor related to any belief system at all. Tracks like “Lament of Being”, “The Ruined Innocence”, “What’s Real?” and “Vital Doubts” bring up the suspicion that this music is a kind of revenge against usual soft titles like the most relaxing New Age music in the universe.
Silentaria’s multi-dimensional fusion music benefits from emotional melodies and diverse instruments and devices to create multi-layered themes with cinematic atmospheres, progressive orchestrations, polyphonic harmonies and hypnotic rhythms. This emphasizes elements of mystery, sorrow, epic, rebellion and energy, alike a melody of the whole and releases the inner frustration to embrace infinite possibilities unfolded from emptiness. It brings Rixa’s vision to mind which is inspired by the Wholeness and Emptiness philosophy and manifests in Silentaria’s slogan: “The Voice of Emptiness”.
Beside aforementioned elements, Silentaria music encourages a pure experience of life. It insists on facing the life burden as it is and not pretending that everything is fine outside while suffering inside. By this way, we do not need to hide our true-self and stop throwing ourselves into good mood. Rixa White believes that music can be a cure, if we let ourselves into a pure experience beyond our conceptual beliefs, observe the trap instead of ignoring it and become a witness, a Silent Witness.
“A slight change”, a poem by Rixa White explains it all:
The last not the least, it might be impossible to get caught in usual New Age music monotony while listening to Silentaria music. It turns from soothing instrumental (Farewell, Sorrowful Truth) into cinematic Epic (One Last Quest, Return of the Lost) and from energizing Electronic (Beyond Destiny, Real Fantasia) into thundering Rock (Deceived, Curtains over Eyes). But it is quite easy to surround yourself by this hybrid music that demands your sub-conscious for exploring strange sonic shores.
Listen to the music, share the experience.
by Marian White
For more information please visit Silentaria and Rixa White page.
 |
| What's Real? |
| This concept album is a story of a lost creature, surrounded by reality and illusion contradiction. |
| Learn more... |
|
Buy this album in MP3 or CD format: |
    |
| Read reviews |
 |
| The Beginning of the End |
| This concept album interprets mankind concerns to get free from the past and move beyond destiny via an inner journey as a life quest. |
| Learn more... |
 |
| Read reviews |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Silentaria | An Electronic New Age musical project by Rixa White 