Albums most popular in the United States●Modern Era

Tracks: 6 Release date: 2020-06-24 $4.14

Tracks: 5 Release date: 2007-03-20 $9.99

Comments

1. Artistic and fresh - Like so many of Henryk Mikolaj Górecki's compositions, his String Quartet No. , Opus is inspired or at least references poetry: in the case of this quartet (-) the poem at its base is a simple four line poem by Russian writer Khlebnikov - "When horses die, they breathe,/ When grasses die, they wither,/ When suns die, they go out,/ When people die, they sing songs." Górecki is a master of sharing the most intimate interstices of the human soul in his haunting music and his third string quartet is for this listener on of his most intimate utterings. It is performed with consummate skill and grace and understated passion by the Kronos Quartet for whom the work was written. It is long (around minutes) but every moment contains substance and beauty. Some listeners may find the degree of invention subdued and at first hearing that response is understandable. Yet listening to the work multiple times the soulful dignity as well as the inherent optimism of a musical poet sharing a life painted in terror and grounded by the folk music of his native Poland becomes increasingly apparent. There are moments that mark Górecki's sound, slow massive movement of a single repetitive chord altered only by the pulsations of viola or violin. But there are new sounds here: in the second movement marked 'Largo, Cantabile' the string quartet assumes the intonation usually associated with an old fashioned accordion, while in movements single string motifs blossom into romantic songs that are at times suggestive of love songs/folk songs and at other times of sacred hymns. This Third Quartet, so exceptionally well played by the Kronos Quartet, is far more meditative than extroverted. Górecki speaks to the quiet places within our memories and our minds and somehow makes those private places audible with music so gentle that it defies description.
2010-07-24

2. Well done, well done - Any one who has read my Kronos Quartet reivews knows I'm not the biggest fan of the boys in the band but this time the've come out with a winner. It's boggling why it took over ten years to release this to the Kronos, the quartet to whom it is dedicated. Any one who expects to hear something new and removed from his previous quartets will be diapointed though. This work falls in line quite nicely with the previous quartets. The reading has a warmth and obvious familiararity with the composers intentions. There are parts that could be said are decendants of Shostakovich's quartets although I fail to find the connection to the eight quartet mentioned by a previous reviewer. This is a strong and powerful work and the record will prove to be the reference recording for years to come. I'd thought I'd never hear myself say this in public but BRAVO Kronos, this is a job well done.
2008-02-28

3. Fantastic. - As a violist and composer, I must commend the Kronos Quartet and Mr. Gorecki for one of the most sublime and fulfilling musical experiences. The work itself is incredibly massive, with suprisingly simple and uncomplicated thematic material typical of Gorecki's music. I also sense some influence from earlier important quartets, notably Shostakovich's th Quartet. At the same time, the fourth movement is strangely, but not displeasingly, removed from the previous movements. It begins in a very bleedingly Romantic way, as if you are listening to something by Tchaikovsky or Brahms, though it quickly moves into a much more "neo-romantic" vein with more modern harmonic language. As you can see by the length of my review, I am thoroughly pleased with this work, and hope to hear more from Mr. Gorecki and the Kronos in future!
2007-06-07

4. Songs in A Universal Language - Anyone can appreciate the leaden beauty of this recording, from metal-lovers to hip-hop afficianados, to sigur ros-ers. This is a work of epic proportions performed by the virtuostic Chronos Quartet. Wordlessly, the music speaks in the universal language of the human tragedy and disquiets the listener, instilling a sense of mission and urgency...to what end? Ah, the great mysteries of instrumentalism! Warning: repeated listening only deepens the mystery.
2007-03-21

Tracks: 15 Release date: 2019-11-28 $9.99

Comments

1. Good but not Great - The atmospheric music like Greenpath is done excellently, however, the battle music like Hornet loses some of its charm when reduced to only piano. The interplay between different instruments is sorely missed in those pieces. Good overall but some cover choices seem to have been a gamble that didn’t pay well enough.
2019-11-28

Tracks: 4 Release date: 2008-12-01 Get

Comments

1. Far Reaching - Pauline is a High Sephiroth of Electronic Music. She continually amazes me with her sensitivity and intuition with the frequency and modulation. I first found her on an old electronic music classical record. There was a piece called Bye Bye Butterfly which I found enigmatic and would call to me for many repeated listenings. She continues to be dedicated towards her path in music and I honor and respect her as an evolved individual. Music of the Body; Music of our Sphere GAIA, Music of the Cosmos/Multiverse. What I've heard from this album (as I had just purchased it; .$!!!! an amazing value) speaks of microquasars SS and stranglets falling through this nuclear desert of mainly empty space. The signals harken attention from beyond. Love, William Lincoln Schafer, MT-BC
2012-02-28

Tracks: 8 Release date: 2014-07-18 $4.99

Comments

1. Hauntingly beautiful - I love it. From start to finish. I am an amateur composer and I am stunned by how much emotion and mystery she can pack into a few bars of unaccompanied klavier musik. I can’t wait for the world to catch up and take notice: Sóley is a world treasure. I expect her music to be celebrated generations from now.
2020-08-20

Tracks: 18 Release date: 2014-01-31 $11.99

Comments

1. Headphone Commute Review - Although I prefer to hear most albums through my audiophile grade hifi, there’s something magical about Pinô when listen through a pair of headphones. I often feel as if I am eavesdropping on a late night recording session in Nils Frahm‘s studio, my shadow just around the corner, my presence over Totland’s shoulder, my ear on the piano’s wood. I pick up on each delicate hammer touch, each intricate move of its innards, each barely audible breath of the human behind. How can these sounds flow through those hands? And like a lost apparition I float through the strings and the hammers, through keys and through fingers, through cryptic synaptic responses, into something that’s someone calls “Otto”, into something I can not explain. “Each silence leads into quick flutters of keys, preparing the listener for a vast terrain of giddy beauty, bleak depths, and true contentedness. Pino quickly recalls deep winter; in front of a fireplace for days on end, you lose how far along you’ve ventured into the [album] without any idea how far is left to go. The experience feels inevitable, with no other option but to curl up somewhere cozy and appreciate the sense of timelessness that Totland has created.” With eighteen fragile solo piano compositions, indeed recorded at Frahm’s Durton Studios in Berlin, Totland’s Pinô instantly propels to the top of my all time favourite albums. I knew this from my very first listen, and I know it even now, upon its hundredth repeat play. Of course I am familiar with Totland’s past works. There is his work with Serein‘s label boss Huw Roberts as Nest, with Retold () prominently appearing on Headphone Commute’s Best of . And then, of course, there is the celebrated Deaf Center project, with which Otto Totland and Erik Skodvin (also known as Svarte Greiner and owner of Miasmah) delighted the loyal fans and followers of Type with Pale Ravine (), Levende () and Owl Splinters () — all highly recommended. But besides the modern classical, cinematic and dark ambient compositions in these two projects, apparently sir Totland also plays, plays well, and oh, so spellbinding and superb! From these words you can tell that I am absolutely in love with Pinô! And I am especially excited to see this gem appear on Sonic Pieces, a Berlin-based label that has charmed with every single release, from hand-made packaging to an exquisite curation by Monique Recknagel. You barely can go wrong with Sonic Pieces, even if you pre-ordered every upcoming LP right now. Search these pages, and you will find my musings on almost every release. I want to sincerely thank Monique, Nils and Otto for sharing this music with me and the world. It’s more than a score to my daily commute – it’s really the soundtrack to my life! Pinô is a gorgeous full-length as a solo début – an absolute must!!!
2014-04-13

2. For fans of Yann Tiersen, Nils Frahm, and Chilly Gonzales - This is an exquisitely delicate album where every key press is both celebrated and heard in full. It is more than just intricate piano music - this album is about the creaking of the sustain pedals, the floorboards giving, the ruffle of a shirt as an arm moves, the chatter of birds on the snow outside. This is what action painting is to visual art - music as the physical act of playing. The music itself sounds like the soundtrack to the end of a snowstorm. At first you might think you are hearing the sloppy home-recording of a talented pianist, but on closer listen, you will hear the audible world expanding and contracting in macro movements behind the piano. On Aquet, what seems like the white noise of a rain storm shutters in and out of the background, chased by luxurious echoed piano. It then becomes clear that the background noise is no accident, it is being used as much as the the piano is to shape the soundscape of each composition. By the end of my th listen, all I wanted was more. I want entire albums expanding upon each song’s theme. Unfortunately we are given just a glimpse into an intoxicating world of Otto A. Totland's musical mind and I am looking forward to hear what comes next!
2014-02-14

Tracks: 5 Release date: 2013-10-07 $7.99

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Comments

1. Deserving of high praise and recognition! - One does not have to be part of the Masonry/brotherhood to understand the main concepts this composition represents. As someone outside of it all (maybe not understanding everything it all entails), I’ve been able to visualize myself going through the stages of life in sequence... from beginning, middle, and then the end (as a main idea, without going into too much detail). It is all beautifully captivating to listen to in its entirety, time and time again! I cannot wait for more works to be released!
2018-12-28

Tracks: 19 Release date: 1997-12-31 Get

Tracks: 4 Release date: 2020-04-17 $3.96

Tracks: 10 Release date: 1985-12-31 $10.99

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