Paint the Forest Winter

Track Listings

1. Snow Dance at Sand Cave

2. Chamnesstown School Trail at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge

3. Winter's Kiss at Rim Rock Trail

4. Gathering at Teal Pond

5. Wintertide at Miller's Grove

6. The Snow Day

7. Paint the Forest Winter

8. Trail of Tears: Kyrie at Brownfield

9. Burden Falls

10. At Rendleman's Grave: Giant City State Park

11. Promise of Spring at Bald Knob

12. Vivaldi's Winter: Largo from Concerto in F minor

Editorial Reviews
Ken Seeber, Flipside, Southern Illinoisan December 13, 2001
Zola using her considerable talents paints a portrait of the Shawnee Forest. Perfect follow-up to her astonishlingly successful first album.

Product Description
Visit the website at zolavan.com Zola's music has been described by reviewers as lush, compelling, evocative and absolutely gorgeous. "On Paint the Forest Winter she captures specific moods that are conjured by the forest's sleepy winter months, as well as some of the history associated with some of the more remote areas." Ken Seeber, Flipside, Southern Illinoisan, December 13, 2001. Van says in her CD insert of Paint the Forest Winter, "Were I a painter the moolit woods would sparkle under a deep blanket of fresly fallen snow, and my canvas would express the beauty and solitude of the winterscape before me. The strokes of my brush would paint for you the openness and scarcity, the sleep and rest, the death and promise of renewal. For this 'painter' the brush is my pen and my canvas a blank manuscript paper. Each stroke recreates these sights in a soundscape of motives and rhythms as at my piano I paint the forest winter."

Paint the Forest Winter

Paint the Forest Winter,Zola Van,Really Big Shoes,Beautiful, relaxing solo piano music described by reviewers as lush, compelling and absolutely gorgeous.

Paint the Forest Winter

Average customer rating:

Frozen Waterfalls and Magical Crystal Cave Dreams

Tranquility

New Age Voice Magazine - NAV, Jan 2003 - Peter Manzi, Editor

Beautiful, Original, Unique

Pretty but BUSY

Paint the Forest Winter
Zola Van
Manufacturer: Really Big Shoes
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Piano | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

River to River Trail: The Hike Through Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois

Carol: A Christmas Journey

ASIN: B00005S80B
Release Date: 2001-12-01

Tracks:

Snow Dance at Sand Cave
Chamnesstown School Trail at Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge
Winter's Kiss at Rim Rock Trail
Gathering at Teal Pond
Wintertide at Miller's Grove
The Snow Day
Paint the Forest Winter
Trail of Tears: Kyrie at Brownfield
Burden Falls
At Rendleman's Grave: Giant City State Park
Promise of Spring at Bald Knob
Vivaldi's Winter: Largo from Concerto in F minor

Album Description

Visit the website at zolavan.com Zola's music has been described by reviewers as lush, compelling, evocative and absolutely gorgeous. "On Paint the Forest Winter she captures specific moods that are conjured by the forest's sleepy winter months, as well as some of the history associated with some of the more remote areas." Ken Seeber, Flipside, Southern Illinoisan, December 13, 2001. Van says in her CD insert of Paint the Forest Winter, "Were I a painter the moolit woods would sparkle under a deep blanket of fresly fallen snow, and my canvas would express the beauty and solitude of the winterscape before me. The strokes of my brush would paint for you the openness and scarcity, the sleep and rest, the death and promise of renewal. For this 'painter' the brush is my pen and my canvas a blank manuscript paper. Each stroke recreates these sights in a soundscape of motives and rhythms as at my piano I paint the forest winter."

Customer Reviews:

Frozen Waterfalls and Magical Crystal Cave Dreams.......2004-07-20

If snow fell to the earth as musical notes, they might sound like "Snow Dance at Sand Cave." There is a crystalline beauty in Zola Van's playing that almost rivals nature itself. Her playing is born from a love of nature and her connection with her environment weaves its way into the notes in her piano solos in an almost breathless anticipatory beauty.

While the first two solos are fast-paced and the notes dance excitably like sun glinting off ice, Winter's Kiss at Rim Rock Trail has a calming quality reminiscent of the security you would feel looking out from a warm house covered in snow. You will feel the chill of winter in the shivers Zola Van's playing will give you. The notes are especially crisp in this piece.

In Gathering at Teal Pond majesty intermingles with playfulness. Wintertide at Miller's Grove is haunting in its delicacy and an element of bittersweet memories have been inspired by a lonely pine grove. Perhaps my favorite track on this CD because the pace is comforting. I'd like to have an entire CD with songs of this pace. Zola's playing does at times have an intensity to it, but in Wintertide, she captures the true feeling of winter in its stillness.

The Snow Day might remind you of playgrounds and snowball fights. Paint the Forest Winter is exquisite and you can imagine a moonlit woods sparkling like diamonds under a starlit night. Zola's sensitivity to each note is very apparent as she delicately unfolds a painting in a musical observation.

Trail of Tears: Kyrie at Brownfield was inspired by the story of mothers who told their children to run into the forest for safety. Zola captures the immense sense of loss and heart-wrenching despair the Cherokee Indians felt in the winter of 1839. It is almost a tribute to the human spirit and even if you didn't know the story that inspired this song, you would be overwhelmed with a sense of someone feeling despair. I am only left wondering how humans could treat one another with such disrespect when surrounded by such woodland beauty.

Burden Falls is a heavier piece representing a frozen section of waterfall trapped motionless in the dead of winter. Water still moves beneath and you can hear a freedom of rushing water beneath the frozen cascades.

At Rendleman's Grave: Giant City State Park was inspired by a story of a child who lived through the Civil War. "Sleeping Periwinkles cover this site (his grave) to come forth in spring." Zola has captured a solitary stillness that then breaks into the continuation of life as it moves from one form to the next. Promise of Spring follows rather appropriately as the death of winter gives way to new life and a heaven of flowers bursting into bloom. There is a sadness of saying goodbye to winter, and a bittersweet welcoming of spring. Zola completes the mood with Vivaldi's Winter: Largo from Concerto in F minor. Her interpretation is dreamily romantic and the perfect ending to a magnificent CD filled with emotion, wonder and pure musical genius.

I am amazed by the profound way Zola captures emotions and scenic vistas. It makes the heart want to escape to this beautiful area in Southern Illinois were she is inspired and lives. I lived in Illinois as a child and part of me remembers the beauty of deep snow and the atmosphere and scents of winter. The variety in this particular CD is stunning. I have rarely heard music this beautiful and heart capturing. Paint the Forest Winter would enhance any walk out in nature, especially if snow is covering the ground.

~TheRebeccaReview.com

Tranquility.......2003-12-24

Zola Van's piano solos have so much depth that she virtually touches your soul with the feeling that gave her the inspiration to play these beautiful, melodic tunes.
Imagine being bundled up and warm, trekking through a quiet, peaceful forest in the heart of winter. Ice topped branches sparkling in the sun. Fluffy white snow with deer and rabbit tracks intertwined. Her music can take you there.
I can picture her inspiration to transform the feelings and experience from being alone for hours, sightseeing as she made her way through the deep forest.
But it's best to experience it for yourself. "At Rendleman's Grave", "The Snow Day" and "Paint the Forest Winter" are three of the best songs here but all are beautiful.

New Age Voice Magazine - NAV, Jan 2003 - Peter Manzi, Editor.......2003-02-01

If you're antsy to get outdoors but can't due to the winter's weather, the next best thing may be to listen to Zola Van's second effort Paint the Forest Winter. Her 12 impressionist pieces were inspired by hikes through the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois, and most are some of the more melodic, romantic and visual piano efforts you'll hear this year from a piano solo release. An excellent and representative piece is "Winter's Kiss at Rim Rock Trail" (see track 6 on this month's sampler) will make you feel the sting of winter's cold.

The highlight of the CD is "Rendleman's Grave," inspired by the lonely grave that sits in a corner of a children's cemetery--the boy just a day shy of his 13th birthday.

For the piano solo lover, this release has it all: strong compositions with beautiful melodies, a deep well of interesting harmonies, and fine chops at the keys. The CD also contains fantastic liner notes, with explanations from each stop of the hiking journey and several photographs.

Paint the Forest Winter is a fabulous stroll through winter's timeless moments and open forests. -- Peter Manzi, Editor

Beautiful, Original, Unique.......2003-01-25

I am very impressed with Paint the Forest Winter. To find a CD that has such a range of styles and emotions these days is rare. The music takes me from a snowball fight to the tragic story of the Cherokee and lots of interesting places in between. The liner notes and pictures are great. I like the purity of the piano all alone, with none of the streamed-in sound effects that render a monotony to so many other CD's in this genre. The original compositions exhibit complexity and variety, holding my interest, pleasing my ear, and stimulating my thoughts and feelings. I've really loved the "journey" this artist has taken me on!

Pretty but BUSY.......2002-12-27

I hesitate to give this album only 3 stars because I tend to like music of this type. My complaint with this album is that there isn't much variation in dynamic in the songs....they are all pretty much the same...pretty, but very busy. I think the album would have been better with more variety of moods and tempos and a little less ornamentation here and there. Just my personal opinion...I just feel it gets tiring on the ears after about 3 songs.

Average customer rating:

Crisp Piano for a Winter Escape

Paint the Forest Winter
Zola Van
Manufacturer: The Orchard
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

River to River Trail: The Hike Through Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois

ASIN: B0002VESSM
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

Snow Dance at Sand Cave
Chamnesstown School Trail
Winter's Kiss at Rim Rock Trail
Gathering at Teal Pond
Wintertide at Miller's Grove
The Snow Day
Paint the Forest Winter
Trail of Tears: Kyrie at Brownfield
Burden Falls
At Rendleman's Grave: Giant City State Park
Promise of Spring at Bald Knob
Vivaldi's Winter: Largo from Concerto in F minor

Album Description

"Paint the Forest Winter ranked as the #1 New Age CD in the NAV Top 100 Radio Airplay Charts in December 2002. An evocative and lush solo piano CD, Paint the Forest Winter reflects thoughts and emotions tied to natural and historic sites in and around the Shawnee National Forest across the season of winter.

Customer Reviews:

Crisp Piano for a Winter Escape.......2006-08-13

Walk with me through timeless moments of beauty as the forest rests and seems to endlessly sleep through days and months, across countless years of winter. The forest lies open and vulnerable, sharing its secrets while resting peacefully through this season of scarcity and earth, waiting patiently for spring and the promise of renewal. ~Zola Van

If snow fell to the earth as musical notes, they might sound like "Snow Dance at Sand Cave." There is a crystalline beauty in Zola Van's playing that almost rivals nature itself. Her playing is born from a love of nature and her connection with her environment weaves its way into the notes in her piano solos in an almost breathless anticipatory beauty.

While the first two solos are fast-paced and the notes dance excitably like sun glinting off ice, Winter's Kiss at Rim Rock Trail has a calming quality reminiscent of the security you would feel looking out from a warm house covered in snow. You will feel the chill of winter in the shivers Zola Van's playing will give you. The notes are especially crisp in this piece.

In Gathering at Teal Pond majesty intermingles with playfulness. Wintertide at Miller's Grove is haunting in its delicacy and an element of bittersweet memories have been inspired by a lonely pine grove. Perhaps my favorite track on this CD because the pace is comforting. I'd like to have an entire CD with songs of this pace. Zola's playing does at times have an intensity to it, but in Wintertide, she captures the true feeling of winter in its stillness.

The Snow Day might remind you of playgrounds and snowball fights. Paint the Forest Winter is exquisite and you can imagine a moonlit woods sparkling like diamonds under a starlit night. Zola's sensitivity to each note is very apparent as she delicately unfolds a painting in a musical observation.

Trail of Tears: Kyrie at Brownfield was inspired by the story of mothers who told their children to run into the forest for safety. Zola captures the immense sense of loss and heart-wrenching despair the Cherokee Indians felt in the winter of 1839. It is almost a tribute to the human spirit and even if you didn't know the story that inspired this song, you would be overwhelmed with a sense of someone feeling despair. I am only left wondering how humans could treat one another with such disrespect when surrounded by such woodland beauty.

Burden Falls is a heavier piece representing a frozen section of waterfall trapped motionless in the dead of winter. Water still moves beneath and you can hear a freedom of rushing water beneath the frozen cascades.

At Rendleman's Grave: Giant City State Park was inspired by a story of a child who lived through the Civil War. "Sleeping Periwinkles cover this site (his grave) to come forth in spring." Zola has captured a solitary stillness that then breaks into the continuation of life as it moves from one form to the next. Promise of Spring follows rather appropriately as the death of winter gives way to new life and a heaven of flowers bursting into bloom. There is a sadness of saying goodbye to winter, and a bittersweet welcoming of spring. Zola completes the mood with Vivaldi's Winter: Largo from Concerto in F minor. Her interpretation is dreamily romantic and the perfect ending to a magnificent CD filled with emotion, wonder and pure musical genius.

I am amazed by the profound way Zola captures emotions and scenic vistas. It makes the heart want to escape to this beautiful area in Southern Illinois were she is inspired and lives. I lived in Illinois as a child and part of me remembers the beauty of deep snow and the atmosphere and scents of winter. The variety in this particular CD is stunning. I have rarely heard music this beautiful and heart capturing. Paint the Forest Winter would enhance any walk out in nature, especially if snow is covering the ground.

~The Rebecca Review

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