The Tibetan Book of the Dead

Pierre Henry - Le Voyage (1962)




Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. From an Henry LP Database:

Le Voyage has been released in several different packagings. I'm not sure if they are all the same recording or not. There was more than one performance of the work. Excerpt from the liner notes of the Mercury issue: "In 1955 Henry met Maurice Béjart, a choreographer who was using musique concrete to accompany the experimental ballets he created. Encouraged by Béjart, henry composed for him Le Voyage (The Voyage), based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The work was first heard on April 15, 1962, in Cologne; but Henry produced another version in the church of St. Julian-le-Pauvre in Paris on June 25, 1963." Issued on CD by French Philips ClassicsMesse pour le temps present. series, 412 706-2 with

Sort of uncharacteristic of most other Henry I'm familiar with. Very slow and "abstract" (in the sense that most sounds are clear abstractions of concepts, as opposed to "concrete" representations), but still very very good.

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The Tibetan Book of the Dead (CTV Documentary, Narrated by Leonard Cohen)

From LeonardCohenFiles.com:

Narrated by Leonard Cohen, this two-part series explores ancient teachings on death and dying and boldly visualizes the afterlife according to Tibetan philosophy. Tibetan Buddhists believe that after a person dies, they enter a state of "bardo" for 49 days until a rebirth.

Program 1, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life documents the history of The Tibetan Bookof the Dead, tracing the book's acceptance and use in Europe and North America. Included is remarkable footage of the rites and liturgies surrounding and following the death of a Ladakhi elder as well as the views of the Dalai Lama on life and death (45 min. 35 sec.).

Program 2, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation observes an old Buddhist lama and a 13-year-old novice monk as they guide a deceased person into the afterlife. The passage of the soul is visualized with animation blended into actual location shooting (45 min. 3 sec.).

This information comes from the website of the National Film Board of Canada. NFB produced the documentary in co-operation with NHK Japan and Mistral Film of France.

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