With W Tiepold
Cruising through the ether | Arica / Chile | 08/02/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I would abstain at writing a review of this CD , but as i purchased it a couple of months ago and have heard much of the Contemporary Works I box ( thanks to a friend who has one of the originals ( whom he purchased originally in a record store in NY ] . After the fantastic opening Cd - the vanity of sounds , we have the Crime of suspense , and the entire Ballet suite [ 4 Cd s ] . Fantastic it wil be when we have Ballet IV available , as it is one of the finer Cd s by Schulzre i have heard .
Back to this CD . The first time since Celloist Wolfgang Tiepold contributes with Klaus since 1978 s X . Quite a long time .
X will remind everyone who knows that CD , the fantastic Ludwig von bayern piece , with an extensive , full and well executed classical presence . And Wolfgangs contribution on Heinrich von Kleist ( as conductor ] . Somoene let me know if im right on that bit of data .
The opener on the CD ' Getting near ' is an exciting 10 minutes of fast tempoed classical structures , that grow and grow and grow until it fades out apropriately in Wolf s Cello , and some well picked chords by maestro schulze . And we give way to Slightly touched , which is a surprising 29 min . This piece is very nice . As we hear both musicinas understanding each other really well . It doesn't leave unsatisfied . It leaves the listener quite aware that those two musicians get along extremely well musically .
Next is Agony , a very long pìece - which quite good - at around 19 minutes it seems as though the next 17 minutes will be very difficult to pay attention to . Thats just a personal and objective opinion . But i value their spirit of improvisation for 36 min .
Next up for me will be Ballet II & III . God willing i ll be able to listen & review those two . And IV when it comes out .
Cannot wait until the Cont Works II releases . I hope its more than one . Thankx amazon for the space
"
'Cello + Electronics = Magic
Steve Benner | Lancaster, UK | 11/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Klaus Schulze's "Ballett (Ballet)" suite originally appeared as part of the huge Rainhorse Records 10-CD "Contemporary Works I" collection of 2000. The work's title is explained by the fact that this suite of compositions was originally composed in memory of the composer's mother, a ballet dancer in her youth, who died in 1998. There was never any intention at all on Schulze's part for this music to be choreographed, and there is nothing particularly balletic about any of it. The entire suite has now been re-released in a series of four discs, each available separately and with some of them having bonus track added as "make-weights" to fill out the CD medium.
Clocking in at 77 mimutes, the first in the series, "Ballett 1" is already just about full and I cannot believe that anyone will be disappointed that Revisited Records haven't managed to squeeze any bonus material on as well. This opening disc of the series very much sets the flavour the remaining three parts ("Ballett 2", "Ballett 3", "Ballett 4"). It makes heavy use of orchestral textures, particularly during the opening track, 'Getting Near'. This starts with quite harsh and atonal mixed vocal/orchestral textures, which quickly transform into wordless vocal utterances, reminiscent of Ligeti's "Aventures/Nouvelles Aventures", before a strongly pulsed string motif takes over to romp its way through the rest of the track.
This is no more than the opener, however, and after 10 minutes the music segues into the second track, 'Slightly Touched'. Here a lyrical 'cello line, played by Wolfgang Tiepold, meanders through a pulsing sequencer landscape. This is a classic large-form Klaus Schulze composition, proceeding leisurely along its way and taking its time to go about its business. Like most Schulze, there is little or no exploration of any new ideas along the way, merely a steady organic growth from its opening towards its close, which in this case, comes some 30 minutes later. But no sooner has 'Slightly Touched' finished than it feels to restart with the next track, 'Agony', rising from its dying breath and seeming very much like a continuation of it. Here the 'cello once again has centre-stage, in what feels to be a long series of improvisatory variations on the central idea of the previous track. Contemplative and explorative by turns, the 'cello line starts from a simple slow lament over a backing of soft string washes. Additional deep 'cello layers slowly appear within the backing drones as the soloist wanders off into all sorts of interesting territories, making this track is one of the most well developed of Schulze's works, for all that it still never strays too far from its opening ideas.
Tiepold's 'cello playing here is never short of exquisite; at times soft, other times searingly beautiful but always meditative, it weaves a hypnotic spell that remains unbroken for the whole of the 35 minutes it takes to unfurl. It is good to see Tiepold credited as co-composer of this track, for it is undoubtedly his masterful improvisations which make this track what it is. Incidentally, if you're looking for some serious music that takes a somewhat different approach to a similar sound world, you may wish to explore Arvo Pärt's "Fratres".
Overall, I would say that this disc is a fine addition to the Schulze cannon, especially for those who prefer his more classically influenced efforts. There is no doubt his existing fans will love it. And it could well earn him a whole lot more.
"
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1