Book of Sounds

Artist: Hans Otte Label: Kuckuck Records Category: Music Average customer rating: Media: Audio Cassette UPC: 013711106947 EAN: 0013711106947 ASIN: B0000018YA Release Date: 1992-12-31

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Customer Reviews:

the great music caught me suddenly .......2005-11-29

Astonishing.......2003-12-07

At first listen, parts of its surface sound like New Age music, but very quickly that similarity disappears. Whereas 99.9% of New Age music seems vapid and flabby to me (emotionally, spiritually and musically), The Book of Sounds actually brings together two seemingly contradictory musical/emotional states, those of total concentration and total relaxation. And for the listener who desires this, this state brings a very strong spiritual resonance as well. Otte himself puts it, "This Book of Sounds rediscovers the listener as a partner of sound and silence, who in his quest for his world, wishes to be totally at one with sound."

Otte accomplishes this not by airy Dorian noodlings, but by composing in gently and carefully contrasted blocks of sound. Within those blocks he employs a great deal of repetition, but also movement that is carefully crafted so as not to "progess". One piece is primarily a melody in which Otte has taken the utmost care to avoid any sort of melodic pattern or direction, yet still manages to convey movement. This is not easy to do.

The sound palette owes a great to deal to Olivier Messiaen's middle period (especially the Vingt Regards de l'Enfent Jesus) and to Philip Glass's middle minimalist phase (1974-79), though the intesity of affect is more like Glass's early minimalism. The overall concept owes a lot to John Cage's desire to let sound be itself.

I listen to a lot different kinds of music and am constantly seeking out new stuff. About once every year or two I come across some music which surprises me so much that get pretty awestruck by it. The Book of Sounds is such music. Highest recommendation.

absolutely wonderful.......2001-11-03

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