The Visit The Definitive Edition Coffret

Description

Awarded the Juno Award, the album that propelled Loreena McKennitt onto the international stage 30 years ago will be released under the title The Visit: The Definitive Edition on September 24, 2021. The original album, recorded in 1991, has since sold over 2 million copies across more than 40 countries and is considered a pivotal moment in the career of the Canadian singer-songwriter. The Visit: The Definitive Edition is available in two formats: a limited deluxe edition, which includes a hardcover book containing 4 CDs and a Blu-ray audio disc, an illustrated 32-page booklet, and hours of previously unreleased content, including the first surround mixes of McKennitt's music. The booklet is already a treasure trove of memorable content: 4 essays written by McKennitt, a personal account of her unconventional rise to fame narrated by former Warner Music Canada director Dave Tollington, and never-before-published archival photos. This is ultimately a "revisit of The Visit" – a kaleidoscope of the reflections of time, places, and energy that contributed to its initial creation. "Thirty years is a long time, no matter how you measure it," McKennitt reflects. "Looking back through a photo allows for a better understanding of what that time was within its context. Many people have shared with me what the album represented for them: a soundtrack to their lives in the early '90s, at the time the album was released." "In addition to this experience relived by many of my fans, we were also able to revisit the album in other ways, calling on the original contributors who played various roles in its creation and support, such as Jeri Heiden for the graphic design, Tollington for his relevant essays, and our original engineer, Jeff Wolpert." Tollington writes: "In summary, the time spent with Loreena was a splendid journey around art, geography, business, and the peaks of success, which none of us, I think, had envisioned at the beginning. So much nourishing water flowed under that bridge, both professionally and personally." In addition to the remastered original recordings, the box set contains two archival performances, recorded at Ontario Place in Toronto and for NPR's World Cafe. There is also an audio disc featuring a 1991 interview and a 2020 roundtable with colleagues from that time. The fourth disc includes soundboard recordings of 6 trio performances and binaural mixes of the original recordings. These binaural mixes offer listeners an experience similar to surround sound, through stereo headphones. The Blu-ray disc includes the original recording in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound, as well as a high-definition stereo version. Dolby developed this new immersive format, Atmos, which provides the listener with a musical experience comparable to the 3D sound heard in modern cinema. The 5.1 mix is presented in the oldest surround sound format (5 speakers and a subwoofer), which most home theater and surround sound enthusiasts will recognize. The high-definition stereo mix is an uncompressed audio format that allows listeners to appreciate the original mix in a resolution close to that of the best stereo studios. The limited deluxe edition box set includes concert recordings of Loreena McKennitt's greatest hits, such as Bonny Portmore, The Lady of Shalott, The Old Ways, Greensleeves, and Tango to Evora, which has been covered and sung by several other international artists. In the fall of 2019, McKennitt decided to suspend her career to dedicate more time and attention to civic causes and climate change, while also advocating for better legislation to protect artists' rights and encouraging the public to buy music directly from the artist whenever possible.