Lotus Dreams – Guide to Tracks

• Lotus Dreams echoes the soaring harmonies of Veraart’s imagination. The erhu — a
bowed, two-stringed Chinese fiddle — sings its soulful song throughout. Alternating
between tender, sonorous, and stirring, this composition takes us to a place of calm and
tranquility — a place where we might dream of lotus flowers.

• Wolf Totem is at the other end of the scale. Inspired by Jiang Rong’s novel about the dying
culture of the Mongols and the parallel extinction of the sacred Mongolian wolf. Veraart’s
music evokes shaman drums and chanting, perhaps voicing a plea for guidance from the
animal spirit of the wolf.

• In Bamboo Mist, Veraart explores a fusion of influences, a mix of instruments from around
the globe reflect her state of mind. Chinese erhu, dizi and zither are introduced to
the Armenian duduk, Spanish guitar, castanets, and Western strings.

• A meditative journey to the here and now, Liquid Zen ebbs and flows. A spacious melody
in bamboo flute builds slowly then gives way to a web of soothing, velvety tones. The
ultimate in space music, this track moves you into a different dimension.

• Nepalese prayer flags flutter in Windhorses, sending their devotions to the sky. Their
whipping in the wind reminded Veraart of sailing ships, of traveling. The track features her
own otherworldly voice, accompanied by an ancient double-reed woodwind instrument.

• Silk Road is a composition partly inspired by Yo-Yo Ma, and the richness that comes from
exchange of ideas and cultures. “In today’s world I find comfort in Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road
ensemble. Veraart’s own Silk Road recalls the ancient network of trade routes, a centuriesold model for cultural exchange between the East and West. A unique musical language
was born of difference.“

• Elegy for a Cherry Tree is a very special composition to Veraart, composed and performed
at the time of a friend’s death. Her own very beautiful voice carries us through grief to the
beauty of new life.

• Two tracks have strong South-East Asian influences. Jalak Bali evokes one of the rarest
birds in the world, the Bali starling. Again a mix of east and west instruments is used:
piccolos sing their voices, and the tune of bamboo flutes call out their plight.

• In Rimba Kuna (old jungle), Veraart uses Indonesian gamelan to give voice to the
Sumatran rainforest which is home to some of the world’s rarest animals and plants. The
gamelan is an instrument with a sound and rhythm all of its own