Bookmarks: Steinway to Heaven ~ Music for the 3rd Millennium ~ Keyboards Triangle ~ Pazzo Fanfano Di Musica
From: Mark Fonda
np: Steinway to Heaven - Magna Carta's 1996 tribute to the classics of Beethoven,
Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, etc. played by the contemporaries including Emerson, Wakeman,
Rudess, Moraz, Auger, etc.
From: "Surjorimba Suroto" <>
Re: Steinway to Heaven: First of all, this is not a tribute to Led Zeppelin. It's a
Magna Carta release featuring keyboardists played classical music in their own style. I'm
not sure if it's prog. But since keyboard maestros were here, I think it fits this forum.
Keith Emerson, Patrick Moraz and Rick Wakeman were among the many in this album. They
played Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, etc. I'm planning to buy this album, but there's few
review about it. Even on Magna Carta. Does anybody ever heard this album? Is it worth the
money?
From: "Mark Fonda" <>
Re: Steinway to Heaven: I have this CD and as you said it is classics of Beethoven,
Chopin, Brahms, Liszt, etc. played by the contemporaries including Emerson, Wakeman,
Rudess, Moraz, Auger, etc. It is all straight acoustic piano with no other
instruments. I find it a bit dry and it is not progressive rock at all, so set your
sights accordingly. I think you can hear the personalities of the artists in the
individual pieces. The opening piece by Keith Emerson (Ginastera's Dance Creole) is
very lively and entertaining; the second piece by Rick Wakeman (Beethoven's Pathetique) is
pretty flat and uninspiring; the Jordan Rudess piece (Chopin's Revolutionary Etude) is
very passionate and intense; the David Bryan piece (Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata) is very
delicate and emotional; the Patrick Moraz piece (Chopin's Military Polonaise) is powerful,
but a bit cumbersome; the Brian Auger piece (Faure's Padane Op. 50) is flowing and
passionate. You really have to like piano to get into this one.
From: "Marc P. Guilbert" <>
Re: Steinway to Heaven: Mark says it well. The only hing I have to add is that I was
initially excited about getting a well recorded "Creole Dance" without the
distracting MIDI jangling bells and string pads. This fits the bill, but
unfortunately Emo changed the ending from his stage version so it just sort of fizzles out
at the end.
From: "Carsten Busch" <>
Re: Steinway to Heaven: It's *very* classical. If you like classical piano stuff give it a
try, else...
From: Peter Wilton <>
Re: Steinway to Heaven: It almost seems to me that the makers of this record deliberately
listed the tracks in descending order of competence, mainly because the last two tracks
seem very badly played (Dizzy Reed and who else?), like a child practising frantically an
hour before his next piano lesson!
> The only hing I have to add is that I was initially excited about getting a well
recorded "Creole Dance" without the distracting MIDI jangling bells and string
pads. This fits the bill, but unfortunately Emo changed the ending from his stage
version so it just sort of fizzles out at the end.
The only difference is that he plays three staccato "stabs" on the lower
register of the piano, instead of leaping up for a single open octave on the upper
register. I'm surprised that this ending was a "change" - I'd always
imagined the other one was probably a bit of extra acrobatics Emerson added to the end for
effect in a live performance. The studio version strikes me as a typical ending for
a 20th century "classical" percussive piano piece, and for me gives a better
sense of finality than the live version.
From:
"Mark Fonda" <>
The new compilation from AMP Records entitled "Music for the 3rd
Millennium" featuring unreleased tracks from Patrick Moraz, Rick Wakeman,
Richard Pinhas, Steve Jolliffe, Isao Tomita, Keith Emerson, Synergy (Larry Fast)
and 7 others is superb!!... one of the best compilations you will find for
keyboard enthusiasts. The CD was released on August 11, 1999 at 11:11am BST, the
moment of totality for the European Solar Eclipse (the "Millennium
Eclipse"). Most of the tracks are quite progressive, although some lean
towards ambient-techno and electronic-classical. Mark Jenkins did a fine job in
collecting this diverse set of keyboard-based tracks which celebrate the eclipse
and the new millennium in grand fashion. There is more information at
www.ampmusic.demon.co.uk
The Synergy track is entitled "Moon
Caves" (5:05) and is very 90's sounding with some sleek/sinister sequencers
and "Metropolitan Suite" type melody. It's perhaps the best track on
the disc. I'll have to ask Mark Jenkins if it is new or not. It's equally
surprising to have a track from Tomita!! Some people were recently surmising he
was gone.
From Mark Jenkins (AMP Music): Larry Fast's track has not been used anywhere
before. It's a few years old, but I think he believed it was a little out of
context with his other stuff (more rhythmic). Tomita's still extremely busy, but
what I didn't realise is that he does many orchestral scores, nothing to do with
synthesizers, which are for TV projects and which don't always get an album
release, and when they do it's often only in Japan. He just did an orchestral
album "The Tale of Genji" which is very nice but has no synths. His
next commission is music for the upcoming Disney Seaworld near Tokyo. Nice work
if you can get it...
From:
"Carlos Lima" <>
The great news are that Musea is already distributing the "Keyboards
Triangle" CD. :-) I already have my copy, and all I could say, after the
first listening, is that I'm AMAZED! You should save some bucks for this CD, and
a little extra bucks to repaint your room because I'm sure the ink will crack
after you listen to it, hehehe... Long live keyboards-prog!
From: "Koichi Matsuyama" <>
This one is very good, highly recommended. I paid almost $25.00 for the
domestic press including sales tax here in Japan. I have noticed the cover
difference between Japanese press and Musea press. Japanese press cover features
an armadillo-tank, reminds us of the cover of "Tarkus". Mesea press
features Keiko Kumagai of Ars Nova. Ars Nove fan shall better buy the later.
From: SONIQ95@aol.com
We have the tarkus inside though on the face of the CD. I was upset that the
picture of Keiko was only from hips to lips, they chopped the top of her face
off. Music is fabulous though. Especially the cover of Toccata, and
Tarkus.
From: "umocheech" <>
Subject: Re: Keyboards Triangle II
> I can?t believe it?s been released and I didn?t get it! BTW, anyone already
listened to this gem?
Yeah, it came out a while back. I prefer the first one, since this one
doesn't have Arsnova, just Gerard. Get it, anyway.
From: "Jeff Marx" <>
Date: Tue Mar 11, 2003 11:49 pm
Yup, the second one doesn't quite compare with the brilliant display by Arsnova
and Gerard on the first album. Without Arsnova, there's a sameness to the thing,
and Gerard don't really 'push' the covers very hard...whilst the vocals are
sadly abysmal to my aging hearing apparati. Gerard's last two albums are far
more rewarding listening fare for my prog dollar. I will say that their version
of 21st Century SM is impressive tho'!
From: "Jet" <>
Date: Tue Mar 11, 2003 8:41 am Subject: Re: Keyboards Triangle II
I also prefer the first one, mostly because it contained tunes from artists I
wasn't previously familiar with. I was familiar with all of the tunes on
Triangle II, and I don't feel that Gerard really brought anything radically new
to the table. Still a fun listen, though. I much prefer Gerard's original
material; I have their 4 most recent studio albums and they're all fantastic!!
From:
"Mark Fonda" <>
Anyone familiar with a release called "Pazzo Fanfano Di Musica" which
is an Italian Rock Tribute from 1989 (Made in Japan Records) featuring Sakuraba
and members from Outer Limits, Mr. Sirius and Magdalena? It's mentioned in the
liner notes (of Motoi Sakuraba / Gikyokuonsou) and it sounds very interesting!
From: Hubert Jakobs <>
"Pazzo Fanfano Di Musica" This is what I wrote about it recently on
the r.m.p. newsgroup: It's a
beautiful piece of chamber rock. 10 musicians from various Japanese groups (like
Motoi Sakuraba [Deja-Vu], Mr. Sirius Kazuhiro Miyatake, Takashi Aramaki [Ataraxia,
Outer Limits, Vienna] + several other Outer Limits, Mugen, Pageant, Deja-Vu
members) playing acoustic & electric guitar, cello, contrabass, violin,
flute, piano, mellotron, celesta, organ and drums. The music is mostly acoustic
and instrumental, but has also it's rockier moments and female vocals by Megumi
Tokuhisa (Magdalena, Teru's Symphonia, btw mr. Teru himself - Terutsugu Hirayama
- is one of the composers). Wonderful stuff. Interestingly, all the song titles
and other information is in Italian, thus adding to the overall elegance of this
masterpiece!