Customer Reviews

Concerts in China 1

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The `concert' starts with The Overture which initially sounds like a slowed version of Magnetic Fields 1. This is a good thing as the track has a wonderful measured quality about it. Anyway it builds into a superb solo. Great opening.

Next comes probably one of the best tracks Jarre has ever written. It's a shame its never been heard of again as Arpegiateur is absolute classic Jarre. If you've never heard this than your certainly missing out. Although it does tend to conjure up certain imagery from Nine and a half weeks.... :P After a great rendition of Equinoxe 4 comes the wonderfully original Fishing Junks at Sunset. A grand mixture of traditional Chinese orchestra and more contemporary synth. Makes for diversity here. The whole tone of the tracks here is rather sober which while Jarre has created a lot of uplifting material the more serious stuff is what turns me on. I plead with any Jarre fan who is thinking about this purchase to buy it.

I suppose you should expect from the first western world artist in the republic of China to perform in a way never heard before... and whoever expected this, was absolutely right! This concert was one of the most spactacular sights ever seen anywhere... I wouldn't say it shadowed the Chinese wall, but it wasn't shadowed by it either. :) The music is nothing less spactacular than the sights themselves, when I first listened to the music from the concert it nearly got me off my chair and started head-banging all over the room, especially during the peaks of Arpegiateur, which is brilliant on its own.

There are the good old classics from Magnetic fields, Equinox and Oxygen... but the new compositions he constructed especially for the occasion, quite easily, top them all...

Nicely summarizes Jarre's earlier works, as well as giving us some original tracks as well. It's a pity, though, that they didn't make this and Disc 2 into a single double-CD set. I also like nice little touches such as clips from the publie Chinese radio broadcast on Jarre's show. I would love to own a video of this historic event in pre-capitalist China.

In 1997, the complete "The Concerts in China" was exquisitely remastered by Sony and released, at least in Europe, on a single disc. As far as I know, this remastering is only available in that form, and does not apply to this product (Dreyfus; ASIN: B000001ZS6). I strongly recommend seeking out the Sony remaster, because the sound quality difference is not subtle.

This is a pretty monumental album. Jarre was the first western artist to perform in the People's Republic of China in 1981 and this album contains live performances of Equinoxe and Magnetic Fields mixed with new material.

The US release is available on 2 seperate discs whereas the european one is squeezed onto 1. The new track on this album "Arpegiator" is quite simply fabulous - a really funky track that would be out of place in the 21st century!

All the tracks have a distinctive Asian flavour and capture the spirit of the country and it's traditional music. Most notably, Jarre's "Fishing Junks at Sunset" performed with a traditional Chinese orchestra is not the sort of thing you expect to find on an electronic music album.

It's not just a live album but a piece of history and an emotive musical creation of China's culture. It's really different, try it.

This is truly an excellent CD, JMJ at his best. It is part 1 of a two piece album. I have the two LPs album called "Souvenir of China" which consists of this CD and The Concerts in China, part II. JMJ does not perform often though most of his recent shows can be bought on CD and video. This was one of his first shows, and it must have been something special to be there!

Buy the two CDs together! And while you're at it, get his first 3 CDs as well: Oxygen, Equinox and Magnetic Fields.

Jarre takes you on a real voyage through China, its sounds and its experiences. This album deserves to be savored with careful attention to the rich details it presents. Truly outstanding, Jarre's best album.

JMJ has never sounded better. His classical grounding is obvious, as is his ability to recast familiar formulas in exciting and compelling new ways. Synthesizer technology may have progressed since 1982, but JMJ's musicality and imaginative joie de vivre make his music timeless. The complete Equinoxe, Oxygene, and Champs magnetiques, portions of which are heard in the Concerts, are also definitely worth having.

Previously available as a double-CD package, and now as a single CD (but not here), this two-volume set of Jean Michel Jarre's live concerts in China is interesting from a historical point of view, but musically less so. All credit to Jarre for reproducing his music live, but the end result is thinner, less lush, and, with booming 80s drums, much more dated than the albums from which the tunes originate. The handful of original tunes are effective ('Arpeggiator' is particularly good), but it's a shame that they were never released in studio form. Essentially, Jarre's decision to include a light show *and* live music was brave, but let down by contemporary technology.