Isabel Bayrakdarian. "Joyous Light".

[] Elmer Iseler Singers and Chamber Orchestra, Armenian. Texts and translations. CBC Records/Les Disques SRC SMCD 5215 (Naxos, dist.)

Joyous Light could be the crossover sensation of the year, appealing to an audience that few record marketers or classical artists ever think of: yogis, healers, New Agers, college kids and stoners. Actually, the core demographic won't need drugs. Just listen for a few minutes to this music, and you'll be plunged into a long-lasting trance state without any chemical catalyst. Assembled and arranged by Petros Shoujounian in honor of the 1,700th anniversary of the establishment of Christianity as the national religion of Armenia, these ancient melodies--many purportedly dating back to the fourth century--just beg for candles, incense and meditation, no matter whether you're genuflecting or assuming the lotus position.

The singer, Canadian-Armenian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, recently launched her opera career. She won the 2000 Operalia prize and raves for performances in Ann Arbor (Gluck's Euridice) and Toronto (Handel's Cleopatra, both opposite Ewa Podles), La Scala (Bernstein's Maria) and Paris (Hasse's Cleopatra). She played Catherine in the world premiere of William Bolcom's A View from the Bridge at Lyric Opera of Chicago; she returns to the ...