What’s your all-time favourite album?
That’s a hard question to answer. It depends on the day, it depends on the mood, it depends on the occasion. There could have been any number of albums I might have chosen.
Rather than overthink it, I went with the first album that came to mind: Loreena McKennitt’s The Mask and Mirror, released in 1994. One of my wife’s work colleagues lent it to her many years ago. We listened to it together and thought: “Wow!” It was just extraordinary. Nearly 30 years later, I still put the album on and have the same reaction. It is incredibly beautiful and deeply moving.
McKennitt is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who creates a unique fusion of world music, woven through with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. She brings together the sounds of many places, listening carefully to their instruments and traditions, and then sharing that excitement in her own way. It’s a combination of respect for diverse cultures and the joy of introducing others to those sounds—like sharing a favourite recipe with friends.
If you’d like a taste, you might enjoy her song The Mystic’s Dream—I’ve linked it above. It captures so much of the atmosphere and artistry that makes her music unforgettable.
I’m not one to keep bucket lists, especially when it comes to music. But if I could see one person perform live, it would be Loreena McKennitt. Realistically, that dream is unlikely since she tends to perform in North America and occasionally Europe. So my substitute is her live album, Nights from the Alhambra, recorded in 2006. I expect that’s the closest I’ll get to the real experience.
But you never know. If Loreena happens to be reading this: my dream concert would be to see you perform at the Sydney Opera House.
The Afterword 
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