Customer Reviews

Piano Works

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

 

 

I've loved Craig Armstrong's work all the way back to 1999 when I heard "This Love" on the Cruel Intentions soundtrack (an amazing album btw as well). I purchased "Space Between Us" and have been enamored with it ever since...I've bought two copies of my own and even have my mother hooked on his music. "As If to Nothing" was sort of a let-down for me because it just seemed to lack some of the elegance and ingenuity that made "Space Between Us" so very amazing.

When I found out that Mr. Armstrong was making another album but that it would be a pure piano album, I just about melted! Violin and piano are my two favorite instruments but since I play piano, I could not wait for this album. And it does not disappoint!

All the tracks standout in their own unique and new way, even some of the songs now being re-done without orchestrial accompaniment. However, a few tracks just take my breath away. "In My Own Words" is one of the most haunting and breathtaking piano compositions I've ever heard...brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it and this has become my favorite composition of his after "Laura's Theme" held that spot for so long. "Weather Storm" sounds just like falling rain during a thunderstorm as it opens and it just continues to have that "flow" to it throughout the song...spectacular. "Leaving Paris"...WOW! What can I say about this song?? It is tied with "In My Own Words" for being my favorite composition by Mr. Armstrong. The emotion you can feel coming from the piano and the composition is beautiful. And "Morning Breaks"...who can truly forget this piece of work as it played in Romeo + Juliet (at the time I didn't know who did the song). But being able to conjure that moment in the film just from the beauty of this composition on the piano makes me want to wake up in the morning to something as beautiful as this. "Laura's Theme", my former favorite composition by Mr. Armstrong, is still a strong favorite of mine and is just as haunting, if not more so, than its first appearance on "Space Between Us"...one of the most beautiful and haunting songs ever produced. "Glasgow Love Theme" from Love Actually sounds just as amazing here. "Childhood 2" is a song that just conveys what it is like to be a child and grow up with all around you that just goes in thousands of directions (hence the layering music effect). More importantly, for me this song really has a way of conjuring up images of my own youth that I can vividly see again and experience. The hidden track after "Sunrise" truly shows what a master of music Craig Armstrong is from the crescendos to the light airy playing, all within one piece of music.

As a work done purely on piano by the composing artist only, this is hands down the best. "Space Between Us" gives a picture of his genuis in creating full orchestrial masterpieces but "Piano Works" seems to take at least me closer to seeing who Mr. Armstrong really is since it seems there's even more emotion (if that's possible) that flows out of each of these pieces. Highly recommended.

I first heard Craig Armstrong on Quiet music which plays in my area on Sunday mornings. While I was only able to hear pieces of the album before purchase, it was one of my best. The music is haunting and beautiful. Wonderful to listen to while driving. I intend to purchase more of this man's music.

Hauntingly beautiful. Great production/recording values. Reminiscent of Keith Jarrett. Very talented young man.

I bought the product and they told me to wait 20 to 40 dais, because im from Argentina so the product would have to be transported. The Cd was here in 22 days, nothing about the delevery. Is in perfect conditions. Excelent!!!

Craig Armstrong, who's lent his melodic sensibilities to soundtracks and trip-hop bands alike, strips several of his compositions down to their core -- a simple piano tune. But to call them simple understates how powerful they can be. "In My Own Words," for instance, packs in plenty of melancholy in a running time of under three minutes. To be truthful, several of the tracks have been electronically rendered -- the reverb on "Hidden" or the sudden cuts on "Gentle Piece," for example -- but that doesn't negate the essence of the instrument (the liner notes insist that all the sounds originated from the piano, which makes you wonder how he extracted the lovely resonances on "Diffuse" or the sprightly plucks on "Fugue"). It's not an album that fully commands your attention, but then again, I don't think that was the intent. This is an album for Sundays, for when you want the space to hear yourself think.

Just got this after hearing a cut on my favorite radio station.
Glad that I bought it....great for doing yoga, relaxing, mellowing out.
Beautiful sounds with just the piano.

You simply can't go wrong with Craig Armstrong -- contemporary yet classic in it's simple beauty.

I was first introduced to Craig Armstrong, unknowingly. One of my favorite soundtracks of all time is Mouling Rouge in which Armstrong contributes to some of my favorite pieces on the soundtrack. But, it wasn't until the Love Actually soundtrack that I realized who he was. His piano pieces on this album are what made some of the scenes as powerfully emotional and stirring as they were.
This CD is one of my favorites. His melodies are haunting. You can at once feel the emotion in every piece. For a hopeless romantic as myself, these pieces emote everything that I feel at all times throughout the day. Everyone should purchase this CD and experience Craig Armstrong.

This was a happy accident. I was completely unaware of a new Craig Armstrong release until I stumbled upon this album yesterday. I had loved both, "Space Between Us" and "As If to Nothing", so I bought it without a doubt. This is an album where Armstrong, one of today's best scorers (and certainly Scotland's finest), provides us with a feast of his piano works, some of which you've heard in a more elaborate way before in one of his other albums. Other tracks he put together for the purposes of this recording.

Overall, the album hits a few classical-like notes, and it has a bit of George Winston-ish flavor at some points. There's the Armstrong ambient accent here and there, but this is no "As If to Nothing", which is why I give it 4.5 and not 5 stars. Most certainly it goes best played while driving, writing or chatting over wine in a rainy night. Sorry if the reference sounds cheesy, but it's true.