Concert at St. Olaf College

Michael Gulezian | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 15, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Timbreline Music
• ASIN: B0007W7HMK
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,181 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Michael Gulezian (gu-LAY-ze-in) is one of the most highly acclaimed solo acoustic instrumental guitarists of our time. He is a phenomenal technical guitarist with the rare ability to transcend his own virtuosity, creating music that touches and moves people at the deepest level.

For more than two decades, Michael has unpretentiously walked onstage and delivered one riveting performance after another. Concert at St. Olaf College fully displays the intensity, nuance, energy, and emotion of a master musician lovingly engaged with his audience in the mystery of self-revelation, creating music of understated virtuosity, atmospheric power, ecstatic joy, and haunting beauty.

Concert at St. Olaf College is reminiscent of the groundbreaking tone, tenor, and timbre of Michael’s critically acclaimed Takoma Records debut, Unspoken Intentions. All nine songs are performed in open tunings; five are performed on 12-string guitar, and four with bottleneck slide. In addition to his original pieces, Michael includes an overdriven cover of Leo Kottke’s "Watermelon," and an other-worldly rendition of J.S. Bach’s "Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring."

This is an exceptionally listenable live concert CD, recorded by Grammy Award winning engineer Richard Adler (Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck). With twelve minutes of enhanced concert video footage, Concert at St. Olaf College is a must-have CD for anyone who appreciates the highest level of solo acoustic instrumental guitar artistry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this is THE solo acoustic guitar CD to buy!, April 29, 2005

By 

Zach Wolters (Detroit, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Concert at St. Olaf College (Audio CD)

What a surprise - I had no idea this CD was in the works! I own all of Michael Gulezian's other CDs. They're all excellent - he's a fantastic guitarist, as well as a great composer of music for acoustic guitar.

But having seen Gulezian in concert twice now, I'm thrilled with this new live CD. The concert video is priceless. When I listen to these songs as a guitarist I am intimidated - there's no question Gulezian ranks among giants like Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges. But when I listen as a "non-guitarist," I'm overwhelmed by the beauty of the music. These pieces are showcases of spectacular artistry.

If you haven't heard of Michael Gulezian before, this CD is a great place to start; if you have any of the other discs, this should be your next; and if you've seen him in concert, then you simply MUST OWN THIS DISC. "Concert At Saint Olaf College" is one more in a series of stunning acoustic guitar releases from Michael Gulezian.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece live recording from virtuoso guitarist, November 30, 2005

By 

Russell Sanders (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Concert at St. Olaf College (Audio CD)

I have listened to this CD at least ten times, and with every listen it just gets better. Every once in a while a recording comes out that is so beautiful, so profound, and so emotionally satisfying, it gives hope in these seemingly hopeless times that the world is not going to hell.

I went to a Michael Gulezian concert earlier this summer. In terms of pure musicianship, it was the most incredible experience I've ever had. I myself have been playing guitar for a good fifteen years. I've never seen anyone play music so technically demanding, and do it with so much grace. Gulezian never flaunted the obvious fact that he's a total virtuoso.

All those qualities come shining through on this disc. Songs like "Trampoline Heart" are tough as nails, but then Gulezian will turn around and dazzle with a piece like "Little Meggie." And then there's the opening opus, "Mile High Country," which sounds like a solo guitar soundtrack for a Rocky Mountain thunderstorm - a dramatic, driving, twisting six-string symphony of complex melodies, key changes, swirling rhythms, and percussive harmonics. It's a tour-de-force of grandeur, power, and beauty.

There were moments when I saw Michael Gulezian do things on his guitar that seemed impossible. You won't see any of that by listening to this CD - and of course it doesn't matter. All that does matter is the music. This CD stands firmly as one of the all-time best live concert recordings of instrumental solo acoustic guitar.

Performance: A Recording Quality: A Compositions: A+ Intangibles: A+

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars instrumental solo acoustic music of the highest order, March 24, 2005

By 

Guitar Czar (Madison, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Concert at St. Olaf College (Audio CD)

Yet another great CD from Michael Gulezian.

The sound of the guitars is majestic. The compositions are strong. The playing is spectacular - Gulezian's technique is dazzling, but it never overshadows the music.

Gulezian says in the liner notes this was an imperfect concert, but that he'd rather reach for the stars and suffer a few mistakes than give a technically flawless but emotionally sterile performance. This performance is anything but sterile - it's a passionate, inspired, emotionally charged solo acoustic guitar concert. Mistakes? I hear no mistakes. All I hear is incredible music. If this is Gulezian having an "off night," it's scary to imagine what he sounds like when he's "on."

I love how Gulezian takes chances. He really goes for it, especially on "Mile High Country" and "Trampoline Heart." His arrangement of the J.S. Bach piece is like nothing I've ever heard before - it's "out there" (it's WAY out there), but somehow it works beautifully.

Not a weak track on this CD.

Strong recommendation.