Search - Hans Otte :: Hans Otte: The Book of Sounds

Dark, Beautiful, Contemplative and Indispensible

Jacqueline Stuart | Burlington, VT | 11/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I discovered Das Buch der Klange (Book of Sounds) by Hans Otte, last November through one of Hearts of Space archived shows. This is one of the most beautiful, melancholic and contemplative works I have encountered in a long time. Otte's original compositions for piano are deceptively simple, yet it is through this simplicity that one can begin to hear the complexity and intensity of each piece.



Part 1 is my favorite and solidly sets the tone for the rest of the parts that follow. This album demands that it be taken in, deeply and without distraction. Like the Kronos Quartet cd that I reviewed earlier, Das Buch der Klange is absolutely a winter album. However, unlike the airy and festive tone of Kronos, Das Buch der Klange is laden with sadness--the emptiness between the notes is symbolic of loss. Parts 4, 5 and 6 are the heaviest on the album--almost nightmarish and perhaps obsessive. Part 9 is simply lugubrious--a song for lost love or loneliness. Das Buch der Klange resolves itself beautifully in the end, and one can find a kind of hope or light in the final part.



I realize that my review of the cd may seem too depressing for anyone who is looking for something lighter. It's true, you won't find lightness here, but what you will find is a kind of redemption from the general postmodern piano pieces that can be redundant and difficult to absorb. Hans Otte captures sheer beauty in the hour of darkness, while positively transforming the listening experience."

Essentialism

June Fernan | Oxford, MS | 06/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This work is a landmark to both Minimalism and piano music. In this work, Otte strives to make use of every dynamic of the piano, and every dynamic of sound as well, using a vast array of modes, rhythms, and volumes; and yet, the erratic nature of this work is retained by the style of minimalism. It's one of the best instrumental albums ever."

Notre Musique

P. E. Curry | Phila, PA | 05/08/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just a side note to these other reviews, for anybody that might be searching for the piano music from the "Enfer" section of Godard's film "Notre Musique," this is it (tracks 2 and 5 I believe)."