The Blue Notebooks

The Blue Notebooks

ASIN: B0001FT2EE

Track Listings

1. Blue Notebooks

2. On the Nature of Daylight

3. Horizon Variations

4. Shadow Journal

5. Vladmir's Blues

6. Arboretum

7. Old Song

8. Organum

9. Trees

10. Written on the Sky

Tracks:

Blue Notebooks
On the Nature of Daylight
Horizon Variations
Shadow Journal
Vladmir's Blues
Arboretum
Old Song
Organum
Trees
Written on the Sky

Customer Reviews:

In Praise of Track #10: The Trees.......2007-01-30

Max Richter is a new discovery for me. I loved this entire album; however, track #10, The Trees is so utterly gorgeous... I simply had to share my ectasy with the world. It could be the perfect soundtrack for making love or crying. Exceptionally gorgeous.

Underwhelming stunner shows heart bursting promise .......2006-10-04

3 1/2

Carrying the torch of such minimal maestros as composer Arvo Part, this beautiful, meditative piece of neo-classical music flows nicely as an album but hardly digs as deep as some of the more profound moments powerfully demonstrate. The lush piano and violin centered minimalism begins and ends with the most powerful "sketches", as most of the remaining brief half hour mulls over a few melodic themes while interspersing appropriate spoken word to this strange little disc. A unique, at times sacred experience onto itself, the fleshed out tracks still massively outshine the constant filler, albeit filler of a supremely classy order.

Definately finishes stronger than it begins..........2005-11-23

I had a few tracks from this ablum on my computer that, though short, I found very enjoyable.

So I ordered The Blue Notebooks from Amazon and began listening to this album. Don't get me wrong, there are some BEAUTIFUL pieces of music on this CD. (Especially enjoy 6, 8, and 10) This would be a flawless movie score, but as for listening, I think it lacks a little. I say this because almost half the tracks (not all) are the same piece of music looped over and over without any variations which tends to get quite boring after a while.

Overall, this album could have been done wonders with a little Trent Reznor Fragile-era esque production of the most meticulous nature. The low drumming sounds on track four could have been used a little more throughout the album. The album as a whole < for me > simply lacks enough variation and layering to stand on its own and not get boring after more than about three listens. This is, in fact, the main reason for the lower rating.

This is an album I can thoroughly enjoy every few months, but is not on regular rotation in my CD collection. In conclusion...it could have been musical perfection but, unfortunately, didn't quite make it.

simplicity is sometimes more beautiful than complexity.......2005-11-21

Richter has created a soundtrack for our time. It is at once reflective and the music itself has the power to carry us to that inner place of denial, peace, sorrow, joy, regret, forgiveness, whether it be for ourselves or those once loved, forgotten or dearly missed.

There is no denying that Richter has created a musical space that is highly personal. Yes, there are many great pieces of orchestral music and many of them convey much of the same emotion, but Richter has done so in a way that is a coherent journey from start to finish. The level of musicianship and production value in this recording is very high; it is challenging to create and execute music at this level. This is the album that Sigur Ros should have released recently but they don't have the maturity (yet) to do so.

Album of the Year.......2005-10-16

This is the one that did it for me in 2004, alongside perhaps Arcade Fire.

19th C. Romantic right up to the line of pretension, while never crossing. Minimalist to the point of (um?) exhaustion. It's like the soundtrack to the film you always thought you'd make.

The solo viola with simple back synth, and the traditional quartet, stark piano (though one relatively croony track, 'Horizontal Variations".) A few moments of dry romance(this is definitely a European record, I can't see this being made in the States), tracks that I've put on mix cd's as openers or closers. But mostly a record that rewards the 40-minute session.

I am slightly confused that I've introduced this record to so many hipster friends but never had it introduced to me.

Anyone who buys this and doesn't like it after a couple listens, I'll buy your copy.

Average customer rating:

Gershwin & Kern: Together Again

Manufacturer: Amcam
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000F1VV
Release Date: 1995-12-01

The Good Life: The Greatest Waltzes, Sonatas and Concertos (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

The Good Life: The Greatest Waltzes, Sonatas and Concertos (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0007NMKNK
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition

Average customer rating:

Wonderful set
Don't buy the whole thing
Not Insane
insane
For the real music lover

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: The Complete Edition
Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Gavottes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Mazurkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polkas | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Polonaises | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Nonets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Ballads | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Rondos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Voluntaries | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Airs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Barcarolles | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00002EITP
Release Date: 1999-10-26

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful set.......2004-10-24

This set is for serious piano fans, not for the ones who just start building up a CD library. I sort of agree with one of the reviewers, that there are many repetitions. But if you love piano, you wish to hear the same piece in different interpretations. Indeed, I really like this feature of this set: I can compare the style of various performers.
If you are into piano music, I encourage you to grab this set, if you can find it used (not available anymore at Amazon). I also hope, that there will be a continuation, in which other great pianists, who were left out because of the space limitation, will be included (Prokofiev, Bartok, Dohnanyi, etc).

Don't buy the whole thing.......2001-07-08

I've put a lot of thought into constructing my own piano library, and unless you can easily afford the present set, I would recommend a different approach to collecting piano music. This set emphasizes the piano player rather than the piano composer. Of course both are important. For example, the "Barcarolle" appears in this set EIGHT times. I'm sorry, although I love the piece, if I am going to spend [the money], I would prefer more variety. Where are the Alkan, Medtner, and Szymanawski compositions represented in this set? I appreciate having so many interpretations of the same pieces, but I would also appreciate more exposure to pieces not so popular. The selection by Philips which I consider a somewhat popular selection suggests to me that when Philips constructed this set, they realized most people would be buying the disks separately, and this affected the selection. And it's not just that obscure composers are left out, but also if one spends so much money on piano recordings, you'd think you'd want to buy pieces from a composer in completeness. For example, an alternative way to construct a library would be to combine purchases of complete cycles, e.g. complete Beethoven sonatas, complete Scriabin preludes, etc., along with outstanding recordings of more particular pieces. I'm not sure why someone would want to concentrate so much on so many famous artists, instead of acquiring complete sets of compositions. For me the composer is more important, or at least, if I am going to spend [the money]on piano recordings, I'd prefer more complete, rather than snapshot, exposure to the composers.

Not Insane.......2001-01-02

I had to write this review, as I am enthralled with this set. I have been going through it in order having already purchased a few individual units from the collection earlier. I am not sure what `insane' was talking about as there is NO repetition. Sure some pianists perform the same pieces, isn't that what they did in reality? The idea is to appreciate the different nuances and approaches taken by these artists. You will then enjoy these pieces from a better vantage.

It is a large ambitious contribution to the art of great piano playing. It is a labor of love and represents a tremendous amount of research and cooperation between many record companies. Rather then representing insanity, it is a resource to treasure.

Yes experts can quibble over who was left out, and what performances were inserted. I do not think such a massive undertaking could have been accomplished without someone being able to find faults. Overall however, unless you already have a monumental collection, (it would have to be almost legendary), this incredible set will give you a rewarding look into 74 of the greatest pianist of all time. You will come away with a honed sense of appreciation for your likes and dislikes. You will undoubtedly become someone who will search out recordings and be able to enjoy them for the rest of your life with a refined ear.

The only negative is this price. I would shop around, as it is daunting to spend 2 thousand dollars on such a collection. Of course you do get 200 CD's. However, the used collections might be good to consider.

Enjoy these masterpieces. I am not ashamed of owning this music as `insane' implies. I am proud to have enriched my life.

insane.......2000-10-12

This is not a good library of piano music. The reason is, there is too much repetition. I'm not saying the series is bad. The series is wonderful. But this collection as a whole is a bad libary. For the same money you could collect together (with more effort) an incredible libary of piano music. There are so many wonderful cd's out there, this is just a waste of money. If you can actually afford to spend 2 grand on piano music, then either (1) spend the time and do some research to get a good library of piano music, which will probably include some selections from this collection, or (2) hire someone to do that for you. Personally I would be embarrassed to own this whole collection, since that shows I have put little thought into my purchases of piano music.

For the real music lover.......2000-03-12

This series attempts to present important and representative performances by most of the major pianists of the 20th century. One might quibble a bit with the choices, but the works presented are of consistently high quality, and often do represent what may be the best works of a performer. Since this covers most of the time that recorded music existed, some of the recordings are technically challenged, as there is only so much one can do to enhance an old recording. Still, these appear to have been treated with love and respect in their restorations. Since this series is so large (and expensive!) one is tempted to "cherry pick" through the series, yet by doing so one can easily overlook gems by artists one is less familiar with. This large a set must inevitably have many versions of the same pieces, and takes many hours to listen to. The true enthusiast will appreciate the differences in interpretation, whereas the less experienced listener may find the set repetitive and overwhelming. If one has the time to really dig into this set, it can provide years of exploration and discovery. It would make a wonderful gift for some special music lover in your life ... or for yourself!

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