Search - George Winston :: Summer

The best among all of the wonderful Winston recordings.

T. Wilson | Lexington, KY United States | 05/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the early 1980's Winston recordings came in such a high quality batch-- "Autumn", "December" and "Winter into Spring" all appeared within a few years of each other-- that I allowed myself to wonder (and wish?) if Winston would prove to be an endless source of thoughtful, moving, and unbelievably atmospheric solo piano music for years and years to come. As it turns out, he didn't. The 1998 "All the Seasons" compilation is a "miss" for longtime fans as very little that is new appears on the disc and for new listeners as well due to the edited (always shortened) nature of the tracks. In not a single case is the shortened version better than the original appearance. Likewise, 1994's "Forest" clocked in at under 46:00 and, surprisingly for its length but not for its heavy use of other composer's material, wasn't as tightly bound and focussed as any of the wonderful breakthroughs of the early 1980's and left far less of an overall impression. In between the glorious start of the early 1980's and the unwinding of recent years was 1991's "Summer". Count me among the Winston listeners (and fans!) who feel as if "Summer" is the disc where everything fell into absolutely perfect place. Top to bottom the songlist is exceptionally solid. The arranged "covers" are very well chosen and cohesively presented and among Winston's own offerings "Loreta and Desiree's Bouquet", "Hummingbird", and "Where Are You Now" are easily among his very best and most beautiful. At over 57:00 this is not only a near hour's worth of the best efforts of George Winston but of ANY musician in the "New Age" genre. Actually, you can forget for a moment the tag "New Age" and simply recognize that this recording can stand admirably on its own independent of any label. If you are new to George Winston and looking to these posts to determine which discs to pick up first my sincere recommendation would be to buy "December" as soon as you can if it is the holiday season and "Summer" immediately-- regardless of the time of year. Good luck!"

So Tranquil!

Gary Selikow | Great Kush | 03/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a remarkable slice of tranquillity on CD. It brings to life the wonders of nature during Summer through the genius of George Winston and his associates.
I find it extremely soothing and sustaining, from the dreamlike opening piece by Peter Seeger 'Living In The Country' to the exquisite Loreta and Desiree's Bouquet. From Spring Creek by Phillip Aaberg - evocative of a waterfall and stream, to the lively Corrina , Corrina. This album is powerful collage of inspirational meditation music."

What A Great Way To Listen To Summer!

E. M. Holderman | Perryville, Kentucky USA | 07/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What beautiful solo piano music! I find myself always giving George Winston reviews five stars, but they are honestly and well deservingly earned. Summer is no exception! I have most all of Winson's albums, but Summer and December are my favorites (I agree with another reviewer). It provokes such heart warming thoughts of summertime for me and is very stirring in emotion. I love that Winston allows the listener the freedom to interject his/her own feelings with each song. The entire cd is wonderful, but my favorites are: #1Living in the Country - great way to start the cd off. Lively.#2 and #3 Loreta & Desiree's Bouquet- Parts 1 & 2 is absolutely beautiful, #7 Lullaby is really beautiful (makes me think of my nephew and all the summer fun that awaits us as he grows), #10 Early Morning Range has a sentimentality attached for me, #13 Corrina, Corrina is upbeat, fun and really makes you wanna air play piano and, #15 Where Are You Now is very thought provoking and remenisicent of bygone summer days. You'll not regret purchasing this cd! As with all of G W's music, I enjoy this year round. Of course, I do look forward to summer with this particular cd. The music can draw you into a very meditative state. It is very relaxing and fills my heart with the joys of summer......morning coffee with the rising of the summer sun, afternoons in the hammock reading , lemonade under the backyard shadetree, flower & vegetable gardening, picnics, lightning bugs, and late night dips in the pool. Ahh, what a great way to listen to summer!"