Search - Tribute to Rush :: String Quartet Tribute to Rush

Attention All Planets Of The Solar Federation!!!

Peart-T-Gurl | 03/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"2112 is my #1 favorite Rush Album ever. It marked a point in my life when I learned about life, love and everything that makes me what I am today. When I heard that there was going to be another string quartet tribute to Rush by the same guy that did Exit Stage Right, I pre-ordered so I could get it as soon as possible.



I really liked Exit Stage Right, but this CD blows it away, BIGTIME!!! The whole 2112 suite is majestic. It brings the music to life again like it is totally brand new, but it is so much like the original that you NEVER forget that you are listening to Rush's music. There isn't any drums or percussion, so beware all you Neil Peart fans, but it does not take away from the greatness of this CD at all.



There are so many cool new things in this album that I pick up on each time I listen to it, like there are seaguls singing in the beginning of Discovery and at the end of the 2112 suite when it announces the famous "ATTENTION ALL PLANETS OF TE SOLAR FEDERATION..." ... it's done with female voices instead of male and it is repeated in about 5 or 6 different languages!!! It is very cool!!! FYI, The version of "Passage to Bangkok" is from the "Exit Stage Right" album, for those of you who own it.



I think that if I was not a total fan of Rush and the original 2112, I would still love this album. It has so much to offer musically, that you can't help but absolutely love it. This is currently my most favorite CD and I think you will absolutely love it."

Very Well Done

J. Stern | Chicago, IL | 03/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The beginning of this CD starts with the Spaceship landing intro: It sounds like the effects were made by sliding on the strings of the instruments.



"The Temples of Syrinx" starts with the ensemble just hammering the notes and with a lot of energy. The arrangement is accurate and parts are performed extremely well with lots of enthusiam. Geddy's vocal parts are played by a violin and are accurate to the notation and the interpretation.



"Discovery" has an acoustic guitar and is performed in a different (non-standard) tuning... actually makes sense if you know the story of 2112 and that the guitar is found after it has been extinct for decades... There is a larger body of water in this and it includes the sounds of seaguls (as opposed to the small waterfall in the original).



"Presenation" brings in the ensemble and has great emotion in the interpretation of the priests. The answers of the priests are played like the theme of a scary movie... really, really good.



"Oracle" is very dramatic and builds from a small ensemble to a large ensemble and really captures the musical feeling of the original ....throughout this entire album, I find no loss of the original arrangements...



"Soliloquy" has a cello ensemble and it so beautiful to hear the way the cello parts are arranged. They are performing an interpretation of the guitar parts. All of Geddy's bass parts are done with an upright bass...



"Grand Finale" is a masterpiece! It really moves you and captures a dynamic that I have never heard from an acoustic ensemble, EVER! At the end there are female voices repeating in several different languages, the passage: "Attention All Planets Of The Solar Federation, We Have Assumed Control" and it just explodes at the end with a very emotional and powerful finalé.



"Passage To Bangkok" is the rendition from the first tribute; "Exit Stage Right, The String Quartet Tribute To Rush". Any Rush Aficionado who doesn't own and appreciate that CD is not really a Rush fan in IMHO.



"Twilight Zone" This is very thick and intensely performed during the verses and lightens with an excellent interpretation by the violins of Geddy's voice in the softened choruses. The upright bass is just magnificent in this piece.



"Lessons" is a really fun sounding performance. It sounds to me like the players were just having a blast when they performed this. There are violins playing trills on the downbeats which is just beautiful.



"Tears" must have been written originally in this format!!! I find its musical passages to actually be better than the original! I think this may be my favorite arrangement from the album.



"Something For Nothing" wraps the album up perfectly. This is another piece that works very well in this format. Excelent interpretation and arrangement.



Summing it up - I can not imagine any Rush fan not loving this album. ESPECIALLY if you are any kind of musician. This is a fantastic CD that is well worth the investment and honestly my collection of Rush stuff would, without a doubt, be incomplete if it did not include this CD. I'm not sure that I like it better than "Exit Stage Right", but I wouldn't say I like "Exit Stage Right" better, either. This is a 5 star CD all the way!"

Awesome!

Barry McKinzie | Austin, TX USA | 03/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I heard it on the Radio and pre-ordered it.



I just got it and it is absolutely amazing!!!



This CD is a road previously traveled by the band Rush and now ventured with string instruments (violin, viola, cello, bass and an acoustic guitar on "Discovery")... from the opening intro to the last song on this album, the arrangements are true to the original and are performed with the utmost virtuosity!



A FANTASTIC CD to add to anyone's collection of Rush albums!"