Customer Reviews

Karl Jenkins: Diamond Music

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my favorite "modern classical" album. I was reeled in by the wonderful first movement of Palladio (the famous De Beers "Diamond Music"), and then I fell in love with the entire work. In places it's breathless (the pace and phrasing are so fast); in others, poignant (you can hear bittersweet emotion); and in others, edgy (the strings are anything but smooth and sweet in spots, adding delightful texture to the work).

When I was pregnant with my first child, I would sit in the quiet of the evening with my cup of tea, and she would roll gently to this lovely music. I instantly recall those happy expectant days when I hear this album.

Jenkins is a versatile artist--so much so that he doesn't combine genres. Some artists might "cross over" from jazz to classical (or vice versa), and you can hear it in their compositions. Not so with Jenkins. I think that is the mark of genius in an artist.

This CD contains the music from the "A Diamond Is Forever" TV commercial ads common in the mid 1990's, also known as the "Shadow" commercials.

"Palladio," a three-movement concerto grosso a-la Handel, was inspired by the sixteenth-century architect Andrea Palladio, and musically personifies Palladio's hallmarks of mathematical harmony and order. Throughout the piece (especially the first movement, "Allegretto") can be heard various themes used in the popular De Beers ads.

The "Adiemus Variations" are a reworking of Jenkins' own piece, Adiemus, from "Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary." The piece is in four movements, or variations, exploring different moods from the original music.

The "Passacaglia" was written in memory of Karl's aunt, Evelyn Mary Hopkins, as a slow requiem dance with a repeating ground theme.

The String Quartet No. 2 is a study in styles. "The Fifth Season" is a baroque movement in the style of Antonio Vivaldi. The remaining four movements, "Tango," "Waltz," "Romance" and "Bits," explore various themes using non-conventional styles and rhythms. The piece is a good fusion of baroque, romantic, jazz and neo-classical forms.

Diamond Music has a depth about it that causes the listener to become one with the music and embark on a musical journey to places rarely explored. Karl Jenkins is a kind of modern Mozart in his depth of composition and the feelings he imbues into his music that attract the listener like an exquisite perfume.

If you're looking for a truly sonic experience, "Diamond Music" will satisy your musical appetite.

This cd proves that Karl Jenkins is truly capable of composing memorable and emotional music. Honestly, my favorite piece is the music from the diamond commercial, which is played wonderfully of string instruments. The other songs are also unique and grand, but they lack some of the emotion present in the tune that first appeared on tv in the diamond commerical. Nevertheless, this is a great cd to play at any time of day.

Palladio reflects Jenkin's wonderful abitlity to synthesize baroque, romantic, classical, and contemporary elements, both melodically and harmonically. The result is a beautifully unique, concise, and expressive work. This composition leave behind no aural seams...it demonstrates a perfect systhesis and embodies pure elegance.

I actually had to convince someone once that the deBeers theme was not written hundreds of years ago. It amused me. It amused them that I owned an album based on a commercial. I commented on how sad it was that a great deal of people get their classical music knowledge from commercials and cartoons. But the commercial was how I was introduced to this album, and for that I am glad. Jenkins says that he was inspired by Palladio the Renaissance architect. I too find Palladio's fastidious application of symmetry to be rather satisfying and sense this symmetry in Jenkins' clean work. Just be warned that the rich sounds of the London Philharmonic are only for the first song and the rest are done by The Smith Quartet. This just means that they are quieter, smaller feeling pieces. I do enjoy the variations though.

I think Karl Jenkins Diamond Music is simply lovely. I was actually attracted to his work from the DeBeers diamond commercials. But I wanted to make a quick note. It seems a lot of people are mistaken. This is NOT the music from the Zales commercials. That music was written exclusively for Zales and is only a 30 second piece. That is straight from their website. It was, in my opinion, obviously meant to sound similar to the DeBeers music, probably to make people subconciously connect Zales with such high-quality diamonds. But they are not the same. Jenkins work was used ONLY in the DeBeers diamond commercials. I have no idea why I think that is an important distinction, but there it is.

I purchased this CD because I enjoyed the music in the DeBeer's diamond commercials on TV. I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the music on this album, especially Track #1. The orchestral tones will have you tapping along to the beat. However, towards the end of the CD, the music is in more of a modern style, with more harsh chords. It did not suit my style, but I would still recommend this CD. If you are considering buying it, I would say, "Go ahead."

I like this CD mostly because it's great music to do homework by. It was fun to just listen to if for a few times, as the melancholy string music is very calming. The first track is the most well-known, I would imagine, as it's on the Zale's diamond commercials, which attracted me to Karl Jenkin's music in the first place. If you're looking for some mellow, classical-sounding music, I would definately recomend this CD.

After searching for years for this music, it was quite gratifying to finally pop it in my car's CD player. The entire "Diamond" piece is quite melodic and amazingly Vivaldi-like. Some of the other cuts are a bit repetitious in form and tend to blend into each other, but the music is pleasing and great for relaxation.

Saw this "danced" by the St. Petersburg Ballet. Bringing the two together was a delight to see and hear. Brought me to buy my own copy of the recording. This music could bring folks back to "live" presentations!! A Texas admirer