eng'CDNOW' Discord Review - form CDNOW
2004.01.25 20:46:23
Discord Exclusive Review from CDNOW
allstar rating: 8
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Discord
(Sony Classical)
"Grief"
From dance/ electro to graceful soundtracks to multitudinous collaborations, this is one prolific fellow. That he'd eventually turn his thoughtsto the classical (I.e. symphonic structure, no rhythmic meters) might not seem so strange, if you consider the present vogue for works by Gorecki and P(a)rt. Whatever you may think, this is certainly a "serious" work. Take very similar "Spring" motifs from Stravinksky and Copeland, lay in a haunt of cellos, TV- series- eerie minor- key violins to raise anxiety levels, some 'Sab churchbells- at- the- cemetery, and call it "Grief."Then neutron starburst with Branca/ Tibetan lamasery gong crescendos for five minutes to represent "Anger." Bring it to its knees like becalmed Brahms or Barber for a molto largo string adagio fort 17 minutes of "Prayer." Then lift it up with various voices speaking about "Salvation"-- from personal questing to the nervousness of giving a speech before the Dalai Lama -- as you reprise the "Grief" theme. And there you have it. Plus, the extremely rad CD Extra interactive edition is almost worth the price of admission alone.
Carle VP Groome
Copyright ⓒ 1994-1999 CDNOW, Inc. All rights reserved.
Discord is the recording of Ryuichi Sakamoto's piece Untitled 01 for orchestra, piano (Sakamoto), guitar (David Torn) and electronics (DJ Spooky). Released on Sony Classical, the disc comes enveloped in a beautiful metallic blue sleeve. The first section begins with a flowing, vaguely oriental melody in the strings which moves from section to section with ever-growing accompaniment, similar to Barber's Adagio. This is overlayed by Sakamoto's piano lines, which are disconnected, yet complementary. In the meantime, the lower strings develop an arrhythmic ostinato and the whole section is highlighted by the most subtle of electronic intrusions. In the second movement, the entire orchestra builds tremendous drum-roll tension which soon erupts into an unrelenting pounding drum line and chaotic piano. The third movement is a meditative section which opens with a chant-like melodic line on the bassoon which eventually expands into a pastoral soundscape. The piece ends with prerecorded tape of people explaining "salvation," juxtaposed with a revisiting of the original melody. Throughout the work, Sakamoto combines the most interesting aspects of minimalism, experimentalism and romanticism, forming a breathtaking musical tableau.
Copyright ⓒ 1994-1999 CDNOW, Inc. All rights reserved.
allstar rating: 8
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Discord
(Sony Classical)
"Grief"
From dance/ electro to graceful soundtracks to multitudinous collaborations, this is one prolific fellow. That he'd eventually turn his thoughtsto the classical (I.e. symphonic structure, no rhythmic meters) might not seem so strange, if you consider the present vogue for works by Gorecki and P(a)rt. Whatever you may think, this is certainly a "serious" work. Take very similar "Spring" motifs from Stravinksky and Copeland, lay in a haunt of cellos, TV- series- eerie minor- key violins to raise anxiety levels, some 'Sab churchbells- at- the- cemetery, and call it "Grief."Then neutron starburst with Branca/ Tibetan lamasery gong crescendos for five minutes to represent "Anger." Bring it to its knees like becalmed Brahms or Barber for a molto largo string adagio fort 17 minutes of "Prayer." Then lift it up with various voices speaking about "Salvation"-- from personal questing to the nervousness of giving a speech before the Dalai Lama -- as you reprise the "Grief" theme. And there you have it. Plus, the extremely rad CD Extra interactive edition is almost worth the price of admission alone.
Carle VP Groome
Copyright ⓒ 1994-1999 CDNOW, Inc. All rights reserved.
Discord is the recording of Ryuichi Sakamoto's piece Untitled 01 for orchestra, piano (Sakamoto), guitar (David Torn) and electronics (DJ Spooky). Released on Sony Classical, the disc comes enveloped in a beautiful metallic blue sleeve. The first section begins with a flowing, vaguely oriental melody in the strings which moves from section to section with ever-growing accompaniment, similar to Barber's Adagio. This is overlayed by Sakamoto's piano lines, which are disconnected, yet complementary. In the meantime, the lower strings develop an arrhythmic ostinato and the whole section is highlighted by the most subtle of electronic intrusions. In the second movement, the entire orchestra builds tremendous drum-roll tension which soon erupts into an unrelenting pounding drum line and chaotic piano. The third movement is a meditative section which opens with a chant-like melodic line on the bassoon which eventually expands into a pastoral soundscape. The piece ends with prerecorded tape of people explaining "salvation," juxtaposed with a revisiting of the original melody. Throughout the work, Sakamoto combines the most interesting aspects of minimalism, experimentalism and romanticism, forming a breathtaking musical tableau.
Copyright ⓒ 1994-1999 CDNOW, Inc. All rights reserved.
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