Customer Reviews

Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This recording is a landmark for Yngwie and for electric guitar. I say it is a landmark because very few electric guitarists have actually composed and recorded a concerto for their instrument. Fewer still have performed their work with a world class philharmonic. I hope to see more like this from Yngwie and from other electric guitarists as it will advance the young instrument further beyond mere pop-culture music.

My only gripe (a minor one)about this recording is that Yngwie (as usual) overplays at points. There is an extended acoustic solo (which by Yngwie's own admission is improvised) that borders on obvious "wanking." Such is inappropriate for this kind of music. Improvising is great as long as it doesn't sound like mere improvising - especially in this context.

Yngwie said in an interview that he had problems with the mix recording this live so he had to punch the guitar track in. This is too bad since it makes live performances of his piece less likely. He probably was too loud. I saw him last year after waiting for years to see him and was extremely dissappointed by his volume which was so lound and piercing, it hurt - and I could not wait to leave. What made it more dissappointing was that his playing was really good that night.

Anyone who likes this should love Uli Roth's "Prologue to Symphonic Legends." Uli is a major influence on Yngwie and has even more depth. If Yngwie would use a guitar like Uli's extended range Sky guitar, his classical performances would be even better.

All in all I would highly recommend this to guitar fans. This is probably the finest work from one of the world's top guitarists.

I've been an Yngwie admirer since Alcatrazz. However, after the "Odyssey", every time he deploys something new I get the feeling he is just repeating himself again and again, as if he had lost his inspiration. Thus, I must confess that I really expected something more "out-of-this-world" in this orchestral release. I was wrong. Yngwie just changed his usual backing army of a heavy metal band by a symphonic orchestra, to achieve just a notable result that I think has no transcendence in the long term.

The story is the same: Yngwie furiously plays those licks he has been playing for years and made of him one of the greatest guitar heroes of all times -- but as always since "Odyssey", in pretty predictible movements. Just that, and nothing else: barocque-like phrases at the speed of light (most of them based on minor and diminished scales), an impeccable sweeping technique for arpeggios and the cleanest sound a guitarist could ever have. Point. "That sounds good", -- someone could say; but the bad things of this release are the compositions, which I find heartless, boring and full of clichés -- his own ones, true, but clichés after all. While Yngwie succeeds in integrating the electric guitar with the orchestra in a smooth way, others like Blackmore have done a better job because they maintained alive the essence of this modern instrument, by exploring its possibilities rather than just playing a bunch of notes on it. Yngwie excels in his performance, but he should go beyond... I just wonder what Yngwie could do if he was more innovative, like Frank Zappa, Steve Vai or Joe Satriani. While he is one of the most gifted guitar players in the world, I'm starting to think that God didn't give him enough talent to compose as a contemporary author must do. He is married to his classic style, and for many people he is loosing his attractiveness because there is no palpable evolution in what he does. In few words: buy this CD if you like good playing and proper compositions, but don't expect more than that.

The scope of this project is incredible. Play classical guitar on an electric guitar with a quality symphony backing you. The production is eloquent in that the guitar and the symphony compliment one another, and Yngwie's playing is magnificent. You don't hear guys like Vai or Satriani or Johnson or Blackmore saying anything but glowing things about Malmsteen. This schtick about him only being a technician is not only wrong, it is short sighted. Playing classical music is about bringing the music alive... not about innovating NEW music or phraseology. That's why it's called "classical." No one else in the world could have pulled this off and Yngwie deserves all the credit that can be mustered. And to compare this effort to Metallica? With all due respect to Metallica... get serious.

O.K., let's first clear up some misconceptions. This album isn't "live" in the true sense, as in, Yngwie didn't actually play his solos when the orchestra was playing. They were overdubbed later, as his stack was way too loud to blend with the orchestra. Yngwie himself said this in an interview. I also was under the perception that the "rock" and "classical" CD's were different in packaging and sonics. In other words, different mixes. I didn't buy the "rock" mix, only the "classical". Yngwie performances were awesome, as expected and usual. The sound however, was very darky and muddy. As with all orchestral recordings done with distant mic techniques, it has an abundance of reverb, but this shouldn't make it muddy. I ran it through my BBE processor, with the controls at 10 o'clock, and it did wonders for it. This could have been easily fixed in the mastering. Oh well, that's why I gave it three stars, because of bogus sound quality. The songs done on classical guitar were the stars.

This is clearly Yngwie's best work. Why? Because he is much more at home in the midst of a full orchestra, than in the company of his rock colleagues. With due respect, the reviewers who dissed this work and said it was nothing but minor scales and arpeggios, do not have any understanding and/or connection with great orchestral music. Why do you think Mr. Malmsteen even made this CD? Obviously because he yearns to be in the proper context to utilize his gift to its fullest potential. In my mind his guitar voice is nothing short of breathtaking when you hear him playing pieces such as Toccata, and Prelude to April. Only then can his true voice be discovered. A player such as this man can only rise to a certain level playing with a full band, and the occasional screaming singer. Were it not for all of the perks, star worship, and the rest of the juvenile histrionics that come with being a Rock Star...I truly feel that Yngwie J. Malmsteen would abandon the shredding metal thing in a heartbeat, to pursue what he truly desires. Perhaps when he's older he'll grow weary of all the [stuff] and begin to tap his true potential by experimenting with different orchestration and instrumentation. As a composer with five symphonies and 10 solo CD's to my credit, I find it sad that more listeners can't praise an artist when they try and break away from the staus quo. Perhaps this kid's personality leaves something to be desired, but he can play like no other. Anyone who disses him is either clueless...or simply jealous. ;)

If your reading this review, your probably already familiar with Yngwie's work- Imagine Yngwie's swept arpeggios and Bach-reminiscent pedal scales, blended with the brilliance of Paganini's 24 Caprices- and you have this CD. It is a must for any guitarist, or anyone who appreciates classical music.

There are two versions of this CD, one designed to cater to the classical music market, and one designed to cater to the "popular music" market. Both CD's contain the SAME PERFORMANCE. The difference between the two lies in the mastering technique and the artwork. The "classical" version is mastered in 24 bits with Arton equipment, and the "Rock" version is a multi-track mix which sounds inferior. Check the following link (Yngwie's fan club) to see details about the two albums. (http://www.yngwie.org/discog/solo4.html)

This album was recorded with the prestigious Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. To clear up any misconceptions- IT IS NOT A ROCK ALBUM! But I do recommend that any rockers reading this review purchase it. It will heighten your appreciation of classical music, or at least techniques used by classical composers.

This is Malmsteen's best album in my opinion because he's finally done what he should have been doing all along, playing with an orchestra. I also think his strength is defintely as an instrumentalist. Malmsteen's rock albums are really good yet one will hear similarities in his songwriting and playing style. But at least he has good style and that has always put him in the top 10% of great guitarists. He's never had any bad muscians or singers in his bands but sometimes his lyrics arent up to par. I usually get the biggest musical thrills out of his instrumentals(Krakatau,Eclipse,Black Star,Evil Eye,Icarus Dream Suite,Golden Dawn,Brothers,etc). Many critics diss Malmsteen as a souless player without imagination who overplays, but that's just jealousy and inability talking more than anything else...The man can creatively play circles around most guitarists and he's got a ton of guts that goes into his playing too.

At first I thought this was to be much like Uli Roth's Puccini stuff. After listening to it a few times I found that Yngwie's Concerto is quite well rounded and appealing in it's own right. I nice blend of shameless indulgence and well crafted music.

I guess one of my favorite parts of this project is that there are no rock singers involved and also no lyrics, traditionally two things that have kept me from buying Yngwie recordings.

For you Yngwie die-hards, this is a dream come true: the Maestro composed a friggin' concerto in the vein of Antonio Vivaldi with an electric guitar as the lead instrument (except on "prelude to april," where he uses the Gibson Chet Atkins he used in "black star"). He quotes himself quite a bit on these twelve compositions, most evidently in track 3 ("Andante?"), where he plays the melody from "Brothers" (The Seventh Sign) in a major key (!) and in the opening "Icarus Dream Fanfare," where he quotes (surprise) the "Icarus' Dream Suite." You'll also hear bits of "Black Star" and some others here and there.

This is the record we have been waiting for all of Yngwie's career, especially after hearing the intro to "How Many Miles to Babylon." If you're as much of a die-hard as I am, you won't be able to wait for the domestic release of the Concerto Suite in like Spring '99. This ranks up there with Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," Paganini's "24 Cappricios" and anything Bach. A beautiful album.

we saw Malmsteen twice. the guy comes off as cheesey and typical european rocker on stage. but you can't deny his guitar skills. if you are a guitar-enthusiast you'll absolutely be amazed at this cd. it's not like his other albums/cds. this is something (for lack of a better word) special and unusual. the orchestra and yngwie complement each other so sweetly and with such power. we originaly payed over $40 for the cd when it first came out. it's well worth more than that. if you get a chance to see him on the road, by all meens go do that too.