Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

If you listened to Sir Michael Hordern reading The Chronicles Of Narnia and wished that he would stop talking so that you could listen to the background music then this CD is just what you have been waiting for. The concert harpist Marisa Robles wrote this music to accompany the reading and is, in turn, accompanied by Christopher Hyde-Smith on flute and piccolo. The audio-book reviews were mixed: some found the music distracting while others loved it. To be honest, I cannot say that I noticed it but whether that is a good thing or not is debatable. Good in that it did not spoil my listening experience; bad in that if I did not notice it then there was little point in recording it. It should be said the music without the context of the words is a little bland and one needs to know the stories to make much of it. If you love harp music or easy-listening classics then you will like this release. If you want to explore Narnia then you need to read or listen to the books.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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