Fantastic Music -- Deserves Better Packaging
Frank Simone | Nashua, NH United States | 01/14/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I recently purchased Dubbelgoud, the Dutch import 2 CD boxed set of Thijs Van Leer's first two solo albums. These were a series of very popular and critically acclaimed recordings from the Focus legend, beginning in 1972 with Introspection. That was followed by Introspection II (1976), Introspection III (1978), Introspection IV (1980), and Introspection 92 (1992) I always thought that Introspection II was the best in the series, and you won't be disappointed if hearing it for the first time. Both I and II were arranged and conducted by Rogier Van Otterloo. Among the 18 tracks are some well known classics, as well as Van Leer's original compositions (Focus I, II, III, Mild Wild Rose, Carmen Elysium) and a few by Van Otterloo. Soprano Letty de Jong adds some wonderful vocals, especially on Focus II. Thijs was 24 years old when Introspection I came out. He's 55 now and through the years has developed his own distinctive flute sound, of which you can hear the beginnings of on these recordings. In Handel's Larghetto & Allegro, he plays the allegro in the speed and tempo that it was meant to be played, instead of the maniacal, breakneck interpretation that many flutists have chosen.Musically, I'm giving this set 5 stars, but I wish I could give a separate rating for packaging, which would be about 2 stars at best. There are no liner notes to speak of, just track listings and time, which I guess is expectable for a no-frills compilation set. This is a basic LP to CD conversion with no remastering. Since this has been repackaged with none of the original liner notes or album cover artwork, I don't quite understand why it wasn't put entirely onto one disc, since at just under 77 minutes in length, it would have fit perfectly. ...This wonderful set will appeal to a wide audience, especially lovers of classical music and the flute. Even hardcore Focus fans will find Thijs' classical interpretations of some of their favorite Focus tunes to be irresistible."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1