Customer Reviews

Imagined Oceans

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Karl Jenkins came on the scene in the early seventies with the British rock band "The Soft Machine", to people of that era still one of the best cult bands ever. His transformation to modern classical music and to a composer is absolutely amazing, witness the Adiemus series.

This album is his absolute best!. It mixes classical elements with remnants of Gregorian music as well as New Age influences. The melodies as well as the performance is superb.

You will experience feelings of space, beauty and serenity and it will move you to a deeply relaxed mood.

It feels like lying in a little boat in the Andeman sea, floating and looking at the moon and seeing the many dark spots ( seas) on the moon the songs derive their titles from.

A must for every fan of New Age music, but also not in the least unpalatable for those who enjoy modern classical music.

"Imagined Oceans" was one of those risk purchases for me. I really had no idea what it would be like other than the few 30-second samples you get from Amazon and other sites. I was delightfully surprised to discover this album. I must admit that the first and last tracks are not my favorites, but 90 percent of the other songs are a pure delight to listen to and experience with the volume cranked up loud. Jenkins communicates his original compositions using a fresh and venturing mix of classical string ensemble, the haunting recorder, and a ladies trio with the pure straight tones of Anonymous 4. The vocalists sing the latin names for each song, a technique that reminds me of Enya. Though some of the tunes are simple, they are by no means shallow. The moods Jenkins paints are often evocative, haunting, and exultant. Some of his compositions and his execution of those compositions are simply astounding. The emotions he communications through the songs are gripping and stirring. Though these original classical compositions are "contemporary," you won't find anything dissonant or "clashy" here. Just pure and sweeping melodies with just a touch of percussion, where appropriate. I'm going to purchase "Diamond Music" right away. The music on this album will stick to your brain for weeks.

I don't think anyone has mentioned that there are a few tracks on this CD that are reorchestrations of tracks from the early Adiemus project. If a few of the tracks sound familiar to an avid Adiemus fan, this is why. He gives different instruments different parts and sometimes writes different backgrounds to go with the melodies.

If you are worried about buying a "repeat" CD, don't. The reorchestrations are uniquely different from their originals and most of the tracks are completely new.

It is very hopeful that a contemporary composer dares to write beautiful music! Jenkins uses all the historical styles as a palette. Baroque, renaissance, medieval, ethnic, minimalism, romanticism and rock, coexist in this album with a perfect balance. The inspiration is spontaneous but not without coherence and form.

It must be difficult for a prolific composer like Karl Jenkins to come up with catchy titles for each product. However, despite the fact that these tracks are named for major geographical features of the Moon, they are all very fine works. I enjoy playing the CD repeatedly and would place it no lower than 2nd or 3rd on my Kark Jenkins list.

Karl Jenkins does a remarkable job working with orchestra and new age music. The pieces are similar to his Adiemus CDs. Lots of different moods are portrayed which fit well with the titles. It is very neat how he incorporated the moon and all the latin names with them. This CD is worth getting.

I'm probably Karl Jenkins' largest fan, and he doesn't even know it. I find myself directing a faux choir/orchestra during his music. Yeah, I get weird looks on the plane, but I don't care!

Creating an imaginary world is something reserved for the most brilliant minds, and musically-wise, Karl Jenkins is a master of invention. The piece portrays itself as a post-modern baroque suite in thirteen movements for three voices, recorder, strings and percussion, every separate piece a musical depiction of one of the poetically named "Seas of the Moon". From the tempestuous "Sea of Crises" which opens and closes the entire work with its violent strings, we experience a complete voyage through Jenkins' imagination. We float in a haunted "Lake of Serenity", stroll through a "Sea of Vapours", feel the crashing of the waves in the "Southern Sea", drift in a "Lake of Dreams" and depart into the adventure of a "Lake of Perseverance". At this point, Jenkins calls for a moment of mournful meditation, in a purely instrumental interlude called "Lake of Grief" which divides the work into two almost symmetrical parts. Then, the adventure continues: "Sea of Waves" is a boisterous hornpipe, a hardly dissimulated tribute to british sea songs. "Marsh of Clouds" is a greatly dignified sarabande, reflecting the solemn passing of the clouds. "Bay of Rainbows" uses a slight bitonality to reflect changing colours. "Sea of Showers" uses percussion to show splashes of water bathing the listener, "Lake of Time" is a deep reflection on the passing of time and its universal implications and "Lake of Tenderness" delights us with its suave melodic line. The performance is brilliant, especially the beautiful voices, covering three and a half octaves, creating all sort of polyphonic combinations, accompanied by recorder virtuoso Pamela Thorby and the Karl Jenkins Ensemble (Strings and percussion). Although science has proven false all the lofty ruminations of the ancient poets about our cosmic partner, music created by geniuses like Jenkins shows, once more, that anything is possible.

I listened to this on the radio by fluke, i was trying to fix my parents stereo. I was amazed at how it was so beautifully performed and the movements that danced through the air.(as cheesy as that sounds). The announcer didn't like it and gave it a bad review but i thought it was amazing!

This is really good, I'm an Adiemus fan, and at first I wasn't sure about this album, then I gave it a try...excellent. If you are an Adiemus fan I think you will LOVE this, even though Miriam is not on it, Pamela is on it still.