Pacific Rim

1. Pacific Rim

2. Sudden Breeze

3. Circle of Fire (Dr. Suvi)

4. Little Island (Sweet Sea)

5. Senor Samurai

6. Carolyn

7. East/West

8. Zuma

9. Hong Kong Rain

10. Red Car

11. Niño

12. Boomerang

Pacific Rim,Chi,Sonic Atmospheres,Adult Alternative,Ethnic Fusion,Jazz Music,New Age / Meditation

Average customer rating:

Listen before you buy
Move over John Adams, Michael Torke and Chris Rouse
A Fresh American Voice

Stephen Hartke: Clarinet Concerto

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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Hartke: Concerto for violin
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The Essential Clarinet
Tutuli/Cathedral in the Rain

ASIN: B0000C508R
Release Date: 2003-09-23

Tracks:

Senegambia
Delta Nights
Philamayork
'The Rose Of The Winds' For String Octet
'Gradus' For Bass Clarinet, Vibraphone, Piano, Violin, Cello And Doublebass
'Pacific Rim' For Orchestra

Album Description

Composer Stephen Hartke is acclaimed for his lyricism, rhythmic inventiveness, and above all, the direct emotional connection with his audiences. His Clarinet Concerto exuberantly reflects West Africa, his New York roots, and the tradition of the Delta blues. Recorded here for the first time, these compositions span the austere beauty of the American Southwest, the imaginary landscape of Gradu-s in jazz, and a bustling portrait of Los Angeles. Linked by a sense of place, and here performed by the acclaimed IRIS Chamber Orchestra, these works are a brilliant contribution by one of the most singular voices in American music today.

Customer Reviews:

Listen before you buy.......2004-02-18

I thought that this CD was terrible. I bought it for my husband, who loves traditional jazz, is an expert, and owns hundreds of CDs of traditional jazz. He also likes classical music, fusion, and plays the trumpet.
The music is modern and, to my ear, atonal. It in no way resembled the promo blurb, describing the influences of jazz, West Africa, etc. I was very disappointed.
Considering how much great clarinet music in all genres is out there, I would not receommend this CD.
You like obscure jazz? Try The Living Room Tapes with Lenny Breau and Brad Terry [...].

Move over John Adams, Michael Torke and Chris Rouse.......2004-01-14

Stephen Hartke is enjoying quite a réclame these days, what with an increasing number of performances world-wide. A New Jersey native, he is a long-time professor of composition at the University of Southern California. He belongs to that group of 'post-modern' composers who are not minimalist but are definitely tonal. His music partakes of the teeming cosmopolitan influences of American music--blues, Stravinsky, urban jazz, rock, plainchant, Bernstein, salsa, you name it. He manages to fuse it all together in such a way that all you can do is gape at the craft of it while you're also singing or tapping your foot or feeling the urge to get up and dance. It is filled with verve and incident. I don't think there is a slack or unengaging moment on this entire hour-long disc.

The Clarinet Concerto, written for and played here by the inimitable Richard Stoltzman, is in three movements, each partaking of a different American genre, although they get all mixed together at times: West African rhythms, Delta blues, New York jazz. The almost thirty-minute concerto swings from beginning to end, and Stoltzman--what can I say?--rocks. What he does with the clarinet makes the opening gliss of 'Rhapsody in Blue' sound a hundred years old. (Come to think of it, it almost is! Well, 75 anyhow. Now THAT'S a sobering thought!)

'Pacific Rim' continues this mixing of styles, this time Asian and Latin (get it? the two sides of the Pacific Ocean?). For full orchestra, it is formally a prelude and fugue, but you'd probably not realize that unless told because mostly it charges ahead breezily. Nothing academic about THIS counterpoint.

The two chamber pieces here are 'The Rose of the Winds,' a string octet, and 'Gradus,' for bass clarinet, vibraphone, piano, violin, cello and double bass. 'Rose' is altogether more austere, echoing the New Mexico landscape that inspired it. One sees distant vistas, heat rising, jagged cliffs, sky so blue it hurts your eyes. Mostly the piece is quiet, but it manages to be soulful, too. 'Gradus' was written for the chamber group Parnassus (ooh, a pun: gradus ad parnassum, right?). Of course, 'gradus ad parnassum' was also the name of various musical books of studies (including the first of them by J. J. Fux) and implies a slow ascent to the heights of musical mastery step by step. But this 'Gradus' dances. Picture a group of young people filled with the energy of youth climbing a mountain; the ascent can't dampen their need to jump, dance, jostle, joke, and race.

Hartke's music is a joyful thing. I'd not encountered any of it before, although I'd heard his name spoken with admiration by a composer of my acquaintance. Now I know why. From the evidence of this disc he writes music that is both accessible and meticulously crafted in a completely tonal language informed by a wildly creative musical imagination. It's eventful, engaging, surprising and immensely satisfying.

The group of instrumentalists here is the fairly new IRIS Chamber Orchestra, led by Michael Stern. Stern is a rising conductor (and a son of violinist Isaac Stern) whom I've heard several times in concert and who always leaves a positive impression. The IRIS group, of which he is the founder and music director, is located in Germantown, Tennessee (an affluent suburb of Memphis), and from the sound of it they are a talented group. The soloists in the chamber pieces are members of the orchestra.

This disc is a winner. And the Clarinet Concerto will undoubtedly join the repertoire of pieces for clarinet and orchestra.

TT=59'44"

Scott Morrison

A Fresh American Voice.......2003-11-18

As the blurb on the CD says, Stephen Hartke is "acclaimed for...direct emotional connection with his audiences." This does not mean, however, that he's another one of those "accessible" American composers who have foresworn everything dissonant, witty, complex, or nuanced in order to curry favor with dullards. This music sparks and sparkles, sings and swings. I especially liked "Gradus," which Hartke describes as a "little processional" up the mountaintop "to the abode of the Muses." It's filled with extremely rhythmic, constantly varied counterpoint for a chamber sextet of strings, bass clarinet, piano and percussion. (Here's a shout-out to Beth Newdome, the superb violinist in "Gradus" -- we miss you in Atlanta, girl!)

The major work on this CD is the Clarinet Concerto "Landscapes with Blues," also beautifully played. Richard Stoltzman, for whom it was commissioned, gets plenty of opportunities to exhibit his famous blues inflections and timbre shifts. A really expressive, vital performance, with crack support from the IRIS Chamber Orchestra (where is Germantown, TN, anyway?). Only the middle movement seems to flag a bit in inspiration (for the composer, not the performers -- a few stock phrases from the Stravinsky catalog find their way into what is otherwise a very individual approach).

Stephen Hartke will not startle you with superficial novelty. This is user-friendly tonal music, but fashioned with economy and real passion. It holds your interest AND it engages emotionally. The performances are all top-notch and the recording is of demonstration quality. Buy it!

PACIFIC RIM
Average customer rating:
PACIFIC RIM

Manufacturer: PROJAZZ
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000EGQ338

Robert Kyr: Violin Concerto Trilogy
Average customer rating:

Lyrical complexity, spiritual adventures

amazingly beautiful

Robert Kyr: Violin Concerto Trilogy

Manufacturer: New Albion Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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The Passion according to Four Evangelists

ECLIPSE

ASIN: B000B6TRW0
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Customer Reviews:

Lyrical complexity, spiritual adventures.......2007-04-22

These three delightfully lyrical concerti, with themes respectively of love, harmony, and peace, are all distinct. The middle work is similar to the art of the late composer Lou Harrison, and indeed the canonic and the dance variations of Concerto No. 2 employ a gamelan ensemble as many of Harrison's works. However, Kyr is even more a romantic, and his sweet spiritual music soars and envelops the listener. Ron Blessinger's violin performance is a perfect match for these compositions. The first work on love is indeed amorous, but the third, regarding peace, is not so peaceful at first. It is the not the peace of spiritual or transcendent tranquility but one of aftermath. It must be hard fought to achieve, metaphorically. Drumming, clanging, and clamor give way to lamentation and reconciliation; it ends in resolve, solace, and, yes at last, peace. Robert Kyr, who is at home also in Early Music, is an excellent composer and I look forward to hearing more of his explorations. This particular recording will surprise you in how good it is.

amazingly beautiful.......2006-09-09

I noticed Violin Concerto Trilogy hadn't been reviewed and it deserves to be. Kyr's music is intelligent, listenable and lovely. This and 'Unseen Rain' both deserve a much wider audience. I recommend both.

Average customer rating:

They're Alive

Manufacturer: The Seamonkees
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000CA38IY
Release Date: 2005-02-22

Average customer rating:

12 SMOOTH SONGS

Pacific Rim
Chi
Manufacturer: Sonic Atmospheres
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music
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Jet Stream

ASIN: B00008FQ6C
Release Date: 1990-06-25

Tracks:

Pacific Rim
Sudden Breeze
Circle of Fire (Dr. Suvi)
Little Island (Sweet Sea)
Senor Samurai
Carolyn
East/West
Zuma
Hong Kong Rain
Red Car
Ni
Boomerang

Customer Reviews:

12 SMOOTH SONGS.......2004-08-18

1. El Nino
2. Circle Of Fire
3. Carolyn
4. Little Island
5. Sudden Breeze
6. Red Car
7. Boomerang
8. East West
9. Zuma
10. Hong Kong Rain
11. Senor Samurai
12. Pacific Rim
Great smooth jazz and ambient sound.

Average customer rating:

Outer Island
James Phillip Miner
Manufacturer: Pacific Rim
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000N7K9VU

Product Description

8 tracks

Dreams and Illusions: Tales of the Pacific Rim

Average customer rating:

Great CD for kids and adults!

Dreams and Illusions: Tales of the Pacific Rim
Brenda Wong Aoki
Manufacturer: Rounder Select
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Spoken Word | Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music

Rounder Records | Specialty Stores | Music

General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000003FM
Release Date: 1992-02-14

Tracks:

Twilight Crane
Monkey Defeats Death
Aunti Anna
How A Little Girl's Tears Saved The World Or Why Some People Are Left-Handed
The Mirror
Grandpa, A Reflection

Customer Reviews:

Great CD for kids and adults!.......2000-10-18

I actually saw Brenda Wong Aoki perform live at the Kennedy Center about 7-9 years ago. I was only 13 or 14 at the time, and my younger sister and brother were 11 and 8, respectively. We bought the CD after the show and listened to it over and over again. Both the stories and the music on the CD are phenomenal. There's something soothing about a storyteller's voice, even if she's telling a scary story. This particular CD has enough color and creativity to keep a listener's imagination going even after the CD has ended-- certainly a good substitute for TV. This is a great album to get to listen to with the whole family.

Average customer rating:

Eric Shumsky Plays

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004RJIL
Release Date: 1994-01-01

Average customer rating:

Pacific Rim
Anton Mizerak
Manufacturer: Shastasong
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

Electronic | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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When Angels Dream, Vol. 2

ASIN: B000001JYU
Release Date: 1994-06-01

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Blues at the Ganges
Harmonica Sunset
Just the Wa It Is
Beneaththe Emerald Door
Narita
Mountain Love Song
Indra's Web
August Full Moon
Two Swans Over Wyoming
Peaceful Goddess of the Turquoise Lakey

Album Description

Pacific Rim is a musical odyssey spanning both sides of the Pacific and beyond. It blends western jazz, New Age and blues with folk traditions from Japan, China, and the Himalayas.