Apparitions

Product Description
In the 1980’s, Liu Sola was famous as the enfant terrible of contemporary Chinese literature. In this latest album from Also Productions, her spirit of rebellion and defiance of conventions are not only alive and well, but also given magnificent musical expression, in another ground-breaking performance which also features the work of master drum player Pheeroan akLaff. The sound overlays the primal force of heavy rock on Chinese drum styles; but listen carefully and you hear a very complex bass line, and Sola’s voice, which by turns carries and decenters the melody. The result is an album, both sophisticated and physical, that will appeal to all jazz aficionados, rock enthusiasts, and just plain lovers of good contemporary music.

Apparitions,Liu Sola,Also Productions Inc.,Magnificently defiant world fusion folk with a rare musical vision.

Average customer rating: Some major orchestral "micropolyphonic" works and a fun early piece One of the best CDs of contemporary music. Excellent, but only for a willing ear Very Good Intro To Gyorgy Ligeti Stunningly insightful performances of Ligeti's orchestral works

The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Jonathan Nott Gyorgy Ligeti , Jonathon Nott , and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Manufacturer: Teldec ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Ligeti, György | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Latin Music | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Ligeti Project I: Melodien / Chamber Concerto / Piano Concerto / Mysteries of the Macabre - Schönberg Ensemble / ASKO Ensemble / Reinbert de Leeuw The Ligeti Project IV: Hamburg Concerto (Horn Concerto) / Double Concerto / Ramifications / Requiem The Ligeti Project III: Cello Concerto / Clocks & Clouds / Violin Concerto / Síppal, Dobbal, Nádihegedüvel György Ligeti Edition 3: Works for Piano (Etudes, Musica Ricercata) - Pierre-Laurent Aimard György Ligeti Edition 2: A Cappella Choral Works - London Sinfonietta Voices ASIN: B00005Y34N Release Date: 2002-06-11

Tracks:

1. Lontano
2. Atmospheres
3. Apparitions: I. Lento
4. Apparitions: II. Agitato
5. San Francisco Polyphony
6. Concert Romanesc: I. Andantino
7. Concert Romanesc: II. Allegro Vivace
8. Concert Romanesc: III. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
9. Concert Romanesc: IV. Molto Vivace

Amazon.com

The five extraordinary works on this disc will captivate Ligeti fans and entrance even those who don't know his music. The focus in Lontano on refined tonal colors makes it one of the most elegant pieces in the modernist canon. Atmosphères is more static, holding interest through subtle changes in color and dynamics. Apparitions was Ligeti's first success in the West after his escape from Hungary during the 1956 Soviet invasion. It's a ghostly two-movement work. The first, Lento, is creepy in a dynamically subdued way. The second, Agitato, surprises in its violence, the orchestral crashes fulfilling the fears embodied in the Lento movement.

San Francisco Polyphony, from 1974, is the most recent Ligeti composition on the disc, and it packs more into its 12-plus minutes than many full-evening works. It teems with dense orchestral figures and dynamic contrasts. Under its colorful façade, the work demonstrates how uncompromising modern music can enchant both ear and mind. It should become a concert staple as we move deeper into the 21st century. Finally, an early 1951 work, Concert Românesc, harks back to Bartók's transformations of folk material. Rich in color and vitality, its four movements are full of the dissonances of village bands and melodies rooted in Romanian folk music and in Ligeti's fertile, sympathetic imagination. The playing of the Berlin Philharmonic under conductor Jonathan Nott is outstanding, as is the engineering. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Some major orchestral "micropolyphonic" works and a fun early piece.......2006-06-20

Teldec's THE LIGETI PROJECT II continues the collection, started by Sony's "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition", of Ligeti's complete works in performances overseen by the composer himself. This second disc contains four orchestral works, three of which were written in his "micropolyphony" style of the 1960s and 1970s, and the fourth a recently-rediscovered gem written as a student in 1951. These are performed by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by the young talent Jonathan Nott, and can be considered definitive.

The earliest piece here is "Concerto Romanesc" (1951), a bit of juvenalia inspired by folk melodies the composer heard during musicological expeditions in Romania. Dating from before his use of micropolyphony and overtly modernistic techniques, these pieces may sound like they came from a different composer entirely. Indeed, there is a frank tonalism here, broken only by the occurance of a single F# in the context of F minor, which, as Ligeti painfully recalls in the notes, was reason enough for the Communist government of Hungary to ban it. The opening "Andantino" is among the most emotionally moving of Ligeti's works, and might be compared to his early "Sonata for solo cello." This and the second movement "Allegro vivace" may sound familiar, as portions appeared arranged for two violins as "Balada si joc" on "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets".

A bit before before leaving Hungary in the aftermath of the suppressed 1956 revolt, Ligeti had already begin experimenting with total chromaticism, which due to political restrictions made for pieces consigned to the desk drawer. Once free in the West, his first orchestral piece was "Apparitions" (1958-59), which in its first movement displays a use of all twelve-tones, and then in the second introduces the new technique of "micropolyphony", interwoven textures of such complexity that one can hardly make out the individual strands. While entertaining, it is clearly an immature work in this new style, and I rarely come back to it. Maybe that is because the next piece here is one of Ligeti's sure masterpieces. "Atmospheres" (1961) is the piece which really brought Ligeti to international recognition, not only through the sensation of its premiere under Hans Rosbaud, but also because of Stanley Kubrick's unauthorized use of it in the film 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Eschewing traditional rhythm and melody for a series of shifting tone colours, one might think "Atmospheres" doesn't even qualify as music, but what music it is! Packed with thousands of individual little cells, the piece offers something new on every listen, for one can, if one wants, go behind the great whoosh of orchestral sound and concentrate on individual lines.

"Lontano" (1967) is closely related to Ligeti's a capella work "Lux Aeterna", and indeed the same melody appears "hidden" in each. The composer skillfully gives the impression of a great object approaching from far-off, seeming to move slowly but ultimately zooming past the listener. The orchestral texture is very dense and generally even, Ligeti reportedly wrote the piece while addicted to painkillers, which explains a lot. One very interesting thing about "Lontano" in Ligeti's overall output is that he abandons total chromaticism here, and however avant-garde his technique of micropolyphony might be, the piece is nonetheless diatonic. "San Francisco Polyphony" (1973-74) was written during Ligeti's stint teaching at Stanford. It's a little-known work in comparison to others in the micropolyphonic style, and I think that's a real shame because Ligeti introduces a major innovation here. Instead of seeming static on the surface like "Atmospheres" et al., there is great activity and rhythmic experimentation, and there are countless overt melodies like in the composer's 1971 piece "Melodien".

This disc makes one of the single best introductions to the music of this great and sorely missed composer, although THE LIGETI PROJECT IV with its performance of the "Requiem" and larger view of the composer's career serves well, too.

One of the best CDs of contemporary music........2006-06-07

There're not many CDs like this available on the stores. It's the clear example of perfect CD in its repertoire. A wonderful composer, perfect performances and excellent recordings, together with a very good booklet and presentation.

Some of the works are among the best of Ligeti, in my opinion. The Concert Romanesc (1951), is in clear debt with Bartók language. We have to remember Ligeti is from Transylvania, from a region where Eötvös, Kurtág and the own Bartók were from. The folk music is very important there, as the Bartók transcriptions show, and Ligeti was concerned about it in his early years, like we listen too in other works, specially the Musica Ricarcata in the multiple transcriptions that music allows. Concert Romanesc is really a good piece in its style, that of popular music based on Romanian tunes, that really were Hungarian in pre-war times, before that zone where transferred to Romania. Some of the concerto themes are present too in early pieces for violins and strings, those we can listen on the Sony Edition Nº1, played by the Arditti Quartet. These kind of pieces, like String Quartet Nº1, are the first Ligeti period; next step will come with some of the pieces you can hear in the rest of the CD.

Apparitions (1958-59), was an scandal in its premiere, and it marks a turning point on Ligeti's aesthetics and way of composing. From a quite weberian style, the piece is brief and extremely concise in the way the instruments play. No more tunes, no more melodies, no more folk motives in this music; just really apparitions of sound in different ways and combinations, from different places in the orchestra. A very calm first movement, full of contrasts between silence and sound irruptions, and a second one much more vivid and fast. Teldec affirms this is the world premiere recording, in fact I don't know any other one, so I have to trust them. It's incredible this decisive piece was not recorded, as a turning point on Ligeti's work and as some of the most extreme and fantastic pieces form the `50s, a really breathtaking composition you will enjoy much more with the successive auditions.

Atmospheres (1961), one of the most important pieces in the orchestral repertoire in the XXth Century, has an enormous performance on this CD, a jewel never heard before in this way on CD. Ligeti has written about Atmospheres that is a piece unique, in the sense its composed in a way that its mathematical combinations reach only to this work. Wonderful use of micro-polyphony and micro-tonality, composed through nets of sound really complex in which every instruments play different parts that construct an outstanding group. Strings, woodwinds, metals play on them limits, going from the highest tones to the deepest, like in the change from woodwinds to the massive entrance of deep strings. Lot of people know this piece from Kubrick's 2001; you should try this one, that is really much more better performance.

Lontano (1968) is very careful about colours and polyphony, in fact we can here a quite medieval canon in the final sections of this piece, because of great interest of Ligeti on that medieval polyphony. The piece really seems to create new states of conscience, as the lines of music seems to go to no-known dimensions. Wonderful work too, taken by Kubrick again for his amazing film The Shinning, in which it's used perfectly, like all the music used in that film (Penderecki, Bartók, etc).

I don't like San Francisco Polyphony (1973-74) so much like the two previous pieces, even the style is very close, but I really prefer some other works from that time. In the late `70s and in the `80s Ligeti will go into a new step I have to confess I don't like so much like the one which has Atmospheres, Lontano, String Quartet Nº2, Requiem, Doppelkonzert, Cello Concert...

The performances are outstanding and simply perfect; they bring new life on these scores and the playing of, probably, the best orchestra in the world, conducted by one of the best young conductors in the world, Jonathan Nott, very trained on contemporary music.

The recording is very, very good, with some pieces live-recorded, like Atmospheres and Lontano and some of them studio recordings, like Apparitions. It's incredible how the Berliners play so perfectly in a live-recording.

Interesting texts by Ligeti on this jewel; one of the best CDs of contemporary music that I know.

Excellent, but only for a willing ear.......2006-06-06

Ligeti has based his style on being entirely different from anyone else. I would say that he has succeeded. His music is quite unlike anything I've heard before, and it took me a little while to warm up to Ligeti's music. The atonal washes of orchestral color can be a bit jarring at first, but can provide deep interest in the music.

The music is well recorded and well performed. I do not know of a better recording of these works.

Very Good Intro To Gyorgy Ligeti.......2006-02-05

You've heard Ligeti's Atmospheres in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick used a lot of Ligeti in that film. Well, if you've ever been interested in checking out this fascinating avant-garde composer, here's the perfect opportunity. Jonathan Nott conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in five works by everyone's favorite composer from Transylvania! The Berlin Philharmonic is not exactly known as the most progressive of orchestras, they are acknowledged as one of the supreme orchestras in the world when it comes to standard, tradional repertoire. Like say Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, R. Strauss and so on. It is a joy to see them expand their horizons via conductor Jonathan Nott.

The Concert Romanesc is an early piece by Ligeti, very much influenced by Bartok but the other works are Ligeti, pure and true with his famous tone clusters. Lontano and Atmospheres make the best impression. The sound is outstanding as it should be.

One disappointment is that the playing time is only 54 and a half minutes, which is short measure for a classical CD. Some more music could surely have been added. Nonetheless this Ligeti Project series is terrific. I also recommend the other CD in this series with the Requiem on it.

Stunningly insightful performances of Ligeti's orchestral works.......2005-10-22

György Ligeti's unique place in 20th Century music, while long admired by the cognoscenti, has yet to become a true part of the standard repertoire of our major orchestras. With the release of this Ligeti Project that situation will hopefully change!

On this CD Jonathan Nott conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in full control of the sound produced and, in fact, introducing nuances within these massive clouds of tonalities that open this music to heighten the most seasoned listener's enjoyment. 'Lontano' shimmers, 'Atmosphères' completely surrounds us with at times inaudible but pulsatile movement. 'Apparitions' is one of Ligeti's more popular works and is the embodiment of things that go bump in the night! 'San Francisco Polyphony' is Ligeti at his zenith, with highly sophisticated rhythms and chordal changes that have as much energy and creativity as anything he has written: Nott keeps the wildy/unwieldly fragments tightly strung. The Concert Românesc seems a strange way to end this CD as it is the more traditional, folk melody inspired work and is so easily accessible that it begins to sound more like Bartok and Kodaly than the giant who changed our aural spectrum.

This is an exciting selection of works conducted with absolute authority and insight by Jonathan Nott. Though Nott is recognized as a champion for contemporary music, it should be mentioned that this young lad conducts the masters as well: he has audiences basking in Korngold and Mahler at his LA Philharmonic debut! Grady Harp, October 05

Average customer rating: A Hidden Masterpiece Hauntingly Beautiful!!!!!!!!! Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great vocals Just Gorgeous Okay music, sub-okay lyrics...

Apparitions Hungry Lucy Manufacturer: Hungry Lucy ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music Trip-Hop | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Glo To Kill a King Chasing the Ghost Some Kind of Strange The Damage ASIN: B00004WGV1 Release Date: 2000-08-01

Tracks:

1. Alfred
2. Blue Dress
3. Bound in Blood (Insomnia Mix)
4. Grave
5. Blame
6. Stretch
7. Journey
8. Cover Me
9. Bound in Blood (Waltz Lullaby)
10. Bed of Flames
11. Stretch (Battery Mix)
12. Grave (Digger Mix)
13. Ode
14. Goodbye

Album Description

On their debut release, “Apparitions”, Hungry Lucy take us on an impressive journey into the gothic/trip-hop genre. Don't be fooled by the gothic label though. These are not the doom and gloom tunes of purists, but a seamless hybrid of darkwave, trip-hop, and yes, even pop music. Christa Belle's vocals tell tales of spiritual encounters, and the other-worldly travels, while War-N Harrison's electronica textures and funky grooves keep you bouncing in your headphones.

The brilliant remixes from Heavy Water Factory, F9 & Battery's Shawn Brice are sure to keep the dance floor pumping. While primarily electronic in instrumentation, Hungry Lucy uses piano, acoustic guitar and flute to brilliantly compliment the electronics. All in all, an impressive debut release that is sure to perk up some ears in a genre crying out for something new.

Customer Reviews:

A Hidden Masterpiece.......2007-03-13

A theme album about Ghosts! Really about love surviving death.
I accidentally heard of Hungry Lucy here at Amazon. I have never known a group that keeps getting better with every listen even when your up to 30 or 40 plus listens. Hungry Lucy has moved up to my favorite band status. I have since purchased their other 2 albums. Apparitions is my favorite album, solid all the way thru, although my favorite individual song of Hungry Lucy is 'In the Circle' off the Glo album. Christa Belle has the most amazing etheral voice I have yet heard in music. No matter what type of music you are into you should check this album out and after a few listens I guarantee you will be spellbound by the talent. Trip Hop of such amazing talent that its for everyone.

Hauntingly Beautiful!!!!!!!!! Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2004-11-12

This was the first album I bought of theirs. And soon after I had to buy their first and now their third!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have not heard a song I did not like!!!!!!!!! They are the most creative, expansive, dark, beautiful, interesting, mesmerizing, ingenious, groups, ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A fan for life!!!!!!!!!! Once you listen to a song from this group, you can not stop listening to all their songs!!!!!!!!!!! If I could give this album more stars i would!!!!!!!!!!!

Great vocals.......2004-09-18

This CD has a lot of emotion in the songs that any age group can relate to them.

Just Gorgeous.......2004-08-01

I love Hungry Lucy. I love this album. Gorgeous, haunting vocals over rich, atmospheric music. Practically every song is a gem, though I'm not big on the remixes. I much prefer the original versions. "Alfred", "Bed Of Flames", and "Bound In Blood" are especially noteworthy, as well as the accapella "Goodbye" which relys on nothing but Christa Bell's beautiful vocals. As a poet myself, I have a deep appreciation for the haunting lyrics.

Okay music, sub-okay lyrics..........2004-07-20

As others have pointed out, "Bound in Blood" is an exceptional song - excellent. Other strong songs: "Blue Dress", "Stretch" and "Bed of Flames". The others ... are weaker.

My biggest complaint though is with the almost monotonous meter of the lyrics. It's not the words themselves that are a problem but the simple, slow, one-syllable-per-measure meter. I keep wanting the singer to spill in a few more words/syllables between beats but the words ... just ... keep ... coming ... out ... like ... this.

But please, buy this if only for "Bound in Blood". If you don't like the price of the whole CD, put it on your wishlist and get someone to buy it for you for your birthday. :-)

Average customer rating: A step in the right direction. EXPLAINING THE "GETTING OVER YOU GETTING OVER ME SONG" good album, but not much different than A.O.M.

Apparitions of Melody: The Dead Letters Edition Kids in the Way Manufacturer: Flicker Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Christian Rock | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Christian Alternative | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: On a Search in America Comatose Become What You Believe Vices Albatross ASIN: B000GIW9DW Release Date: 2006-08-08

Tracks:

1. Fiction
2. Apparitions Of Melody
3. Safety In The Darkness
4. Even Snakes Have Hearts
5. Getting Over Me
6. Last Day Of 1888
7. Breaking The Legs Of Sheep
8. The Seed We've Sown
9. Sad And Guilty Ways
10. Blind Behind The Wheel
11. Burt Rutan
12. Head Over Heels
13. This Could Be The Song That Change Your Heart

Customer Reviews:

A step in the right direction........2007-06-25

The reason I bought this Cd was for "Apparitions of melody" and "Fiction" but what I found was even better. almost every song was great, just the way they put the Word out there is great. it's like there preaching but in a way the world hears it, but doesn't even realize it.

Kids in the way is probaly the best Christian rock group out there right now, and with there new CD coming in Aug.

EXPLAINING THE "GETTING OVER YOU GETTING OVER ME SONG".......2006-10-13

This song has been drilling at my skull for a whole week. I first thought that it was addressing to God...that didn't make any sense...Well it appears this is a song about war.Dave Pelsue is directing an experience(from himself?)of a friend that was close that died in war. And that while in war the only thing he could be sure of was God's love. And that God's love was what held him through the death of his friend. The song holds a meaning that can relate to anyone who has fought in a war.The loss of a friend, the emotional stress, and the question , "What am I fighting for?" But despite all these questions, and despair God's love will hold us through.

Cirkit(I'm 17 and don't like my computer being hacked!!!)

good album, but not much different than A.O.M........2006-08-29

I like this album a lot, but it isn't much different from the original A.O.M. album. There r only 2 more songs. Even tho the members r different, I was hoping 4 atleast 4 or 5 new songs. If you really like the 2 new songs like i do, & u already have A.O.M., I suggest just downloading them on an mp3 player if u have 1.

Average customer rating: Stop The way Liszt lives Focused on Virtuosity Astounding playing from the superman of the piano Lisitsa is a Hag

Marc-André Hamelin plays Liszt Franz Liszt , and Marc-André Hamelin Manufacturer: Hyperion UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Character Pieces | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Nocturnes | Short Forms | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Paganini Studies / Schubert March Transcriptions Marc-André Hamelin Live at Wigmore Hall Godowsky: The Complete Studies on Chopin's Etudes Marc-Andre Hamelin: It's All About the Music Kaleidoscope ASIN: B000002ZXV Release Date: 1997-01-10

Tracks:

1. Apparition No. 1 In F Sharp Major S155 No. 1
2. Waldesrauschen S145 No. 1
3. Un Sospiro S144 No. 3
4. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 10 In E Major S244
5. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 In A Minor S244
6. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 In C Sharp Minor S244
7. Nuages gris S199
8. En reve - Nocturne S207
9. Reminiscences de Don Juan S418

Customer Reviews:

Stop.......2007-03-04

I guess it's time for Hamelin to quit playing the piano before he makes all other pianists, past and present, look like clumsy amateurs. I think Hamelin is a mean person who should be arrested for murdering the reputation of the most cherished piano legends. Someone please stop this man!

The way Liszt lives.......2006-08-11

Marc-André Hamelin once again shows us how Liszt should be tackled with his superhuman piano technique. This is the technique that enables Liszt's music to be respected among the people of classical music world. He plays so gently, but relentlessly at the same time that allows him to give the piano what it really deserves.

Look carefully at his interpretation of "13th Hungarian Rhapsody", the way he divides the piece into two completely different parts. "Un Sospiro", then. Having given a Liszt recital early this year (playing this piece), I almost cried when I first heard him play it. The beauty, the "sigh" effect. And of course, the cadenza of "2nd Hungarian Rhapsody" and "Reminiscences de Don Juan". I am speechless.

You will never regret buying this CD.

Focused on Virtuosity.......2006-04-29

I have bought several Hamelin CDs recently - this one, Scriabin and the Composer Pianists. All are benchmarks for technique. Perhaps the ease with which he navigates the obstacles is the problem, I just don't get the feeling that his heart is in it. And I'm tired of hearing his recurring mantra about how virtuosity is artistry in itself. I don't agree. While I'm happy to hear how he avoids the pounding that Ashkenazy inflicts on Scriabin, he could use more of Vladimir's emotion. Perhaps I just don't "get along" with his style well enough. I think he's trying too hard to be different. If you want to hear breathtaking technical performance and excellent recorded sound, then by all means, this is a great choice.

Astounding playing from the superman of the piano.......2005-09-06

When I listened to this CD for the first time, I was truly blown away. Not only this, but I knew that people would slate Hamelin's playing for being 'too technically orientated, or lacking 'soul'', which I personally think is an absolute load of nonsense.
Never have I heard such natural, controlled interpretations of Liszts music. Where many pianists have suffered under the immense technical demands of pieces such as Hungarian rhapsody No2, and the Reminiscences de Don Juan, Hamelin effortlessly succeeds. However there is so much more to his playing than this, contrary to what has been said on many of the reviews on this page. people seem almost offended by his level of natural intuition, his innovativity (is that a word??!), his innate musicality. Eveything on this disc, and I mean everything, has been intimately thought about and polished to the point of jaw dropping control and authority. The final product is truly wonderful.
His Un Sospiro is faster than usual - yet it feels so natural. It really sounds as though the piano is breathing (Un Sospiro translates as - A sigh). Alot of people have been incapable of playing this piece at full speed simply because of the technical difficulty (myself included). Hamelin's interpretation however, is relentless in its tempo and ultimately sensitive in its structure. Beautiful.
The Hungarian Rhapsody number 10 - not well known at all, in fact the only other recording I have heard is by Cziffra, which I love as well. However, one can not get around the basic fact that Hamelin's recording is better. His tone, his control, his sense of humour, all shine in this piece. The middle section, quite simply composed of ascending and descending scales played at light speed, is sloppy and wild in Cziffra's recording. It is for this type of composing that Liszt was slated by is contemporaries - but I believe that he was focussing on a different type of composition. He was concerned not so much with harmony, and progressiveness in his music, but more with timbre, and creating sound effects on the keyboard. Hamelin bears this out in his middle section, playing elegantly, and at a quite simply baffling speed. Hearing him move his fingers this fast is hilarious, and he does it on purpose - he's a joker.
His Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 is wonderful. His rubato is natural, his dynamics in the opening movement are sensitive, and above all beautiful. His own cadenza is fantastic - where alot of people believe the way to a musical end is to trawl through pages and pages of Beethoven and Bach etc, Hamelin stays in the spirit of Liszt and concerns himself with other musical ideas. This is my favourite recording of this piece.
The Don Juan fantasy is staggering. Where the opening of the piece can drag on if it is played too slowly, Hamelin takes it up a notch. The excitement, the trauma, the utter and absolute bliss just shine through at every possible moment - the second variation especially. His gentleness of touch, the rubato, it really is as if he were telling a story with his playing. You can feel his excitement as he gloriously plays through pages and pages of this rich and beautiful music. The final encounter is magic - the level of difficulty in the closing pages of this piece is really ridiculous, but as usual Hamelin storms through with seeming ease and musical intelligence of someone twice his age and experience.
Enough ranting - Mr. Hamelin, you are the finest pianist of today. Just because he is not a traditionalist gives no one the right to slate his playing - I have always been a firm believer that one should judge something for what it is, not for what it isnt. Bearing this in mind, I will be surprised if you dont fall in love with his playing just as I have. Now to listen to my new Alkan CD :D

Lisitsa is a Hag.......2005-07-03

Whoever recommended Valentina Lisitsa's Don Juan over Hamelin's ought to be horse-whipped. Of all of the recordings of that piece I have heard, Hamelin's is second only to Earl Wild's. Lisitsa's, on the other hand, has to be the WORST, even worse than Lang Lang's. Pyrotechnics be damned, she was SO fast and SO careless that it sounded more like a Warner Brother's cartoon than Liszt. One man once said "she's a tall, attractive blonde and that's all she sells," but frankly all I see in her is a spoiled 4-year-old playing with fire. If you want proof, view a video of her performance here...

http://www.valentinalisitsa.com/valhome.html

Go to the video section and look for Don Juan. But believe me, it is not worth your time.

Hamelin is the greatest virtuoso of our generation. He isn't perfect and can often get a little too carried away, but when he's on, he's on. If you haven't heard him play, do yourself a favor and pick up one of his CD's. You will not regret it!

Average customer rating: great cd Adam Rogers is burning! Why do brilliant jazz artists like Adam Rogers record with Criss Cross?

Apparitions Adam Rogers Manufacturer: Criss Cross ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Allegory Art of the Invisible Time and the Infinite Oceana East Coast Love Affair ASIN: B0007Y09KU Release Date: 2005-04-26

Tracks:

1. Labyrinth
2. Tyranny of Fixed Numbers
3. Persephone
4. Continuance
5. The Maya
6. Apparitions
7. Amphora
8. Moment in Time

Customer Reviews:

great cd .......2007-01-04

very adventurous composition here . this is a great CD . a must for audiophiles .

Adam Rogers is burning!.......2005-09-16

This is Adam Rogers' third CD for Gerry Teeken's Criss Cross label. The rhytm section has remained the same for all 3 outings: Edward Simon (piano), Scott Colley (double bass) and Clarence Penn (drums). Also featured on this one is Chris Potter on tenor sax. Although I agree with the previous reviewer in his statement about Criss Cross releasing mostly straight forward, mainstream jazz, I think Adam Rogers has done quite a bit in expanding the harmonic and technical possibilities of his instrument. Also his compositions are very accomplished and modern, somewhat in the same vein as his contemporaries like Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Monder and Mark Turner etc.

Guitar players seldom manage to maintain the listeners' interest if they release a record comprising solely of their own compositions. That is because their compositions are often too "guitaristic". Adam Rogers certainly hasn't got this problem. For this date, he has again provided 8 originals of great interest.

The first thing that really strikes the listener at first is Adam's amazing picking technique. A very few guitarists are able to maintain such a clarity when fast lines. One is reminded of Pat Martino in his prime.

Without analyzing the compositions in detail, I could finish by saying that this CD isn't recommended only to guitarists, but also to everyone who's interesting in some of the best playing AND composing in jazz today. Adam and his band really seem to have something going on, certainly some of the hippest sounds around.

Why do brilliant jazz artists like Adam Rogers record with Criss Cross?.......2005-09-03

Criss Cross, a Dutch label, I believe, is known for keeping alive the bop, hard bop, and post bop flame. It produces many creditable, if unexceptional, recordings mainly by young-lion types, that is, up-and-coming jazzers who've principally honed their chops in these traditionalist settings. The problem with this approach is that unless the concept and playing are exceptional, it can sound hackneyed: only the truly gifted rise above its rather restrictive conventions.

Adam Rogers, a youngish guitarist with prodigious chops and better-than-average skills as composer and bandleader, in one sense fits nicely into this somewhat hidebound label. In another sense, one wishes he would broaden his musical vision into world-jazz/jazz-beat venues, as, for example, David Binney has so successfully done. Alas, it doesn't appear that that's going to happen soon. In the meantime, we're left with Adam Rogers, Criss Cross artist.

I'm OK with that. Primarily because he's a player with such taste, melodic and harmonic brilliance, and easy-worn leadership abilities that any recording he makes is entirely worth listening to. This latest one is no exception. Featuring some of the top young jazzers around--Chris Potter on tenor sax; Edward Simon on piano; Scott Colley on bass; and Clarence Penn on drums--Apparitions provides many moments of ecstatic listening pleasures. For one thing, Rogers, who wrote all the songs, effortlessly masters a wide variety of jazz idioms, including post bop ("Labyrinth," "Continuance"), modal ("Tyranny of Fixed Numbers," "Amphora"), ballad ("Persephone," "A Moment in Time"), modernistic Latin ("The Maya," my favorite cut), and postmodern dirge ("Apparitions").

This entirely listenable disc, while delivering many pleasures in convention jazz idioms, leaves the discerning listener yearning for a more challenging setting for Mr. Rogers to fully unleash his prodigal musicality. I look forward to the day that happens, and, in the meantime, relish the fine music set forth in this very satisfying jazz outing.

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Constant Lambert: The Rio Grande; Horoscope Manufacturer: Asv Living Era ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chabrier | Chabrier, Alexis Emanuel | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Liszt | Liszt, Franz | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Walton | Walton, Sir William | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000AMY08G Release Date: 2005-11-22

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Lowell Liebermann: Piano Music, Vol. 1 Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Liebermann | Liebermann, Lowell | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Lowell Liebermann: Piano Works, Vol. 2 Liebermann: Piano Concertos Chamber Music of Lowell Liebermann Lowell Liebermann: Complete Chamber Music for Flute Liebermann: Symphony No. 2 / Concerto for Flute & Orchestra ASIN: B00009WVR6 Release Date: 2003-07-22

Tracks:

1. Impromptu No.1
2. Impromptu No.2
3. Impromptu No.3
4. Nocturne No.1, Op.20
5. Nocturne No.2, Op.31
6. Nocturne No.3, Op.35
7. Nocturne No.4, Op.38
8. Nocturne No.5, Op.55
9. Nocturne No.6, Op.55
10. Nocturne No.7, Op.65
11. Apparition No.1 - Inquieto, Teneramente E Fragile; Un Poco Delirando
12. Apparition No.2 - Nobile
13. Apparition No.3 - Affrettando Misterioso
14. Apparition No.4 - Supplichevole

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Apparitions for Percussion ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B00003OTDP Release Date: 1999-11-23

Tracks:

1. Joseph Schwantner-Velocities (Moto Perpetuo) for Solo Marimba
2. Daniel Lentz-The Apparitions of J. B. For Solo Percussion and Multiple Digital Ghosts
3. Akira Ifukube-Lauda Concertata for Orchestra and Marimba
4. Todd Winkler-Stomping the Ground for Midi Percussion and Computer, Mov't 1
5. Stomping the Ground, Mov't 2
6. Stomping the Ground, Mov't 3

Album Description

Apparitions for Percussion features new works for solo percussionist performed by J. B. Smith. Joseph Schwantner's "Velocities (Moto Perpetuo) for Solo Marimba" is a virtuoso work that displays technical intricacy, power and speed. "The Apparitions of JB" features a MalletKat percussion controller interacting with layers of digital "ghosts". Akira Ifukube's "Lauda Concertata", originally written for marimba and orchestra, has been adapted by Smith for soloist with electronic orchestra. Todd Winkler's "Stomping the Ground" is an interactive drum solo for TrapKat percussion controller and computer. "Velocities (Moto Perpetuo) for Solo Marimba" was commissioned by the Percussive Arts Society and funded by the National Endowment for the Arts in a Consortium Commission for marimbists Leigh Howard Stevens, William Moersch, and Gordon Stout. Joseph Schwantner, born in Chicago, is currently Professor of Composition at the Eastman School of Music where he has been on the faculty since 1970. He has also served on the faculty of the Juilliard School. Schwantner received his musical and academic training at the Chicago Conservatory and Northwestern University, completing a doctorate in 1968. In "The Apparitions of JB For Solo Percussion and Multiple Digital Ghosts" the solo percussion part is very virtuosic, not only in a purely musical/technical manner, but in the technological demands it places on the soloist. The digital ghosts in "The Apparitions of JB" are musical echoes that do not function as actual echoes. These ghosts, like their humanoid counterparts, can do things that ordinary musical figures cannot. As a human ghost can walk through a wall, a musical ghost can turn itself inside-out, upside-down, or it can change its speed, its range, even its timbre. For example, something played by the human soloist might return seconds or minutes later in such an altered state that even the soloist might not recognize it. Other ghosts, especially when alone or in small numbers, are more easily recognizable. But when there is a whole roomful of them sounding about (sometimes one might hear up to 30 of them) even the composer has something to fear. "Lauda Concertata for Marimba and Orchestra" was written in 1976 for virtuoso marimbist Keiko Abe. Akira Ifukube was born on May 31, 1914 in a small village in Hokkaido. He began his music career as a performer in the student orchestra at school. Then, while he was in college, he became a concert master. He performed many European classical pieces, but was drawn to Igor Stravinsky's and Manuel de Falla's music. He attributes his exposure to their music as the main reason he became a composer. He is best known for his film scores for GODZILLA - KING OF THE MONSTERS (1954), TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975), GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (1992), GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (1993). The electronic accompaniment used for this recording was programmed by Dr. Smith. Using the Macintosh software Max, the performer controls the entrances of the orchestral accompaniment by using a footswitch. Although the electronic accompaniment is inferior to the orchestral setting, the portablility afforded by the computer playback system has allowed Smith to perform the piece on tour with a hint of the original orchestration. "Stomping the Ground" is influenced by the great tradition of American drum set playing and has its roots in African drumming. The solo percussionist creates a kaleidoscopic weave of various drumming styles with a trapKat, an electronic drum set controller. Using 24 electronic drum pads and pedals, the performer is able to play electronic drum sounds and melodies by mapping the pads to notes on a synthesizer and communicate directly with the computer to generate original music. One section features a call and response between the computer and performer, with the computer capturing and playing back drum riffs in a new interpretation. This work explores new musical techniques made possible through the interaction of humans and computers. The computer program allows the performer to directly influence the composition, and in turn, they are asked to listen carefully to their digital partner so that two-way interaction is achieved. Stomping the Ground was written for Amy Knoles. Todd Winkler began his career studying composition and electronic music with David Cope and Gordon Mumma at U.C. Santa Cruz (BFA), Morton Subotnick and Mel Powell at CalArts (MFA), and John Chowning and Max Mathews at Stanford University (DMA). A former faculty member of Oberlin College Conservatory and CalArts, he is currently an assistant professor at Brown University where he teaches courses in computer music and multimedia studies, and is director of the MacColl Studio for Electronic Music. Working at CCRMA at Stanford, and IRCAM in Paris, Winkler pioneered new methods for integrating acoustic instruments with computer technology, writing software that allows a computer to analyze a live performance, and create expressive music by responding intelligently to real-time musical gestures, phrasing and tempo. His current work expands the notion of gesture analysis to include human movement, using motion sensing devices to allow dancers creative input into computer music and multimedia systems. He has written a book based on his research, entitled Composing Interactive Music.

Average customer rating: Amazing perfect awesome great but not perfect THIS CD IS AWESOME

Apparitions of Melody Kids in the Way Manufacturer: Flicker Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Post Grunge | American Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Christian Rock | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music General | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Christian Alternative | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Christian Contemporary Music | Christian & Gospel | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Promises for the Imperfect The Wedding On a Search in America House of Heroes Last Chance to Breathe ASIN: B00094AR96 Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

1. Last Day of 1888
2. Safely In The Darkness
3. Even Snakes Have Hearts
4. Breaking The Legs Of Sheep
5. Apparitions Of Melody
6. The Seed We've Sown
7. Sad And Guilty Ways
8. Blind Behind The Wheel
9. Burt Rutan
10. Head Over Heels
11. This Could Be The Song That Will Change Your Heart

Customer Reviews:

Amazing.......2007-01-19

From the minute I put this disc in my car's stereo I was hooked. From the first track, Last Day of 1888 to the last "real song" Burt Rutan Kids in the Way sounds amazing with their own brand of alternative maybe post-punk rock or something like that, whatever it is its great. The last two tracks include a cover of Head Over Heels and a slow song that could very well be the song that changes your heart. In addition to a good sound the lyrics are astounding and deal with deep and dark issues while conveying a sense of hope through Christ.

This album is amazing as is their othe rwork "Safe From the lsoing Fight"

perfect.......2005-08-15

emo fan is absolutly right this is like my chemicle romance but this band dosent need to swear, this is prly the perfect cd if u like emo/rock with screaming fuse in as well.

awesome.......2005-08-09

i seen these guys in concert last week there very good. the lead singer sounds like my chemicle romanced lead singer alot with screams that sound like underoath, my dad, who hates screaming music actually enjoyed hearing these guys so thats says something right there. very powerful emotional rock that deserves radio time. compare to my chemicle romance

great but not perfect.......2005-07-24

this cd is great :D it's lovely music in true kids in the way style. the sound has improved since their last cd "safe from the losing fight", but still there is something missing. there are some great classic songs here, but the whole cd is missing something. i can't put my finger on what. still a very great cd :D

THIS CD IS AWESOME.......2005-07-07

this cd is one of my absolute favorites! you HAVE to buy it!

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Sir Frederik Ashton: Ballets Manufacturer: Dutton Labs UK ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Constant Lambert: Piano Concerto; Romeo and Juliet; The Bird Actors; etc. ASIN: B0007L7OEW Release Date: 2005-06-14

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