Customer Reviews

Pieces in a Modern Style

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I read all the reviews and was shocked at the amount of bad reviews it had. This is the first review I've ever written; the reason is that it simply needs someone to rave about it, because there are practically no others. I, like some or most of the other reviewers, am familiar with several of the pieces and classically trained in multiple instruments. Instead of being disgusted with his destruction of originally beautiful pieces, I was absolutely fascinated with his rendition of them. I immediately loved this album the first time I heard it, and still do. He produced a modern sound and at the same time preserved the original melodies and emotions of the pieces. I also appreciated his ability to resist the impulse to "remix" these pieces, as so many dance artists would have been tempted to do. Rather, he simply gave them his own interpretation and kept the fairly ambient feel of the original pieces. All of the pieces re-worked here were subdued, gentle pieces to begin with. I am also a fan of much of William Orbit's other work, including the more dance-floor oriented or rock work he has done solo and with countless other artists: Madonna, Depeche Mode, U2, Seal, etc. I can appreciate the remixes on the second disc, though I am generally a fan of more underground electronic music, and these remixes are a bit too mainstream for me. However, my general opinion is that this is an absolutely sublime album. I even consider myself a purist and still like it. If you are a fan of classical music, William Orbit, or ambient music and can stand the thought of creative liberties being taken with time-honored classical (or Romantic, Baroque, or contemporary/modern) pieces, get it. Hopefully you won't be disappointed, but apparently it's fairly difficult to judge who will like this album. Personally, I love it.

The front cover photo of the lounging, pouting William Orbit and a glance at the titles on the rear ( works written by Beethoven, Ravel and Vivaldi, among others ) would lead one to believe the music in Pieces in a Modern Style is stuffy, uptight and pretentious. Nothing could be further from the truth. These songs are warm in instrumentation, and surprisingly varied in arrangement, considerig that they were all more or less programmed into ( and played by ) a computer. The opener, Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, is the selection here that stays most true to the original, with synthesisers taking the place of the strings in question. It is rich, full and lush. Really beautiful. Other songs stray a bit from the original arrangements, often to the point of being unrecognizable, but never to the point of disraction or the compromise of the integrity of the originals. John Cage's In a Landscape features gently pulsing bass notes with very minimal synth sounds floating on top, and reminds me of Brian Eno's earlier ambient works. Another highlight is Ravel's Pavane pour une Infante Defunte, which is simply a beautiful piece of music on its own, here made ethereal and otherworldly. Vivaldi's L'Inverno is made delightfully playful, with an arrangement that makes it sound as though it is coming out of a music box. My personal favourite is Beethoven's Triple Concerto. It begins with the electric guitar treatment Orbit used on Madonna's Beautiful Stranger ( it sounds rather like vibrato, and I am sure there is a technical term for it, although I've no idea what it is ), then goes into a short section of mournful strings before settling into a sensual throb, with backwards percussion, techno-inspired bass and other assorted odd noises. The two Gorecki pieces are simple but very effective, as is the closer, Beethoven's opus 132, lulling the listeniner into states of relaxation, meditation and reflecton. The negative reviews I have read here mainly concentrate on the fact that other musicians have done in the past exactly what William Orbit is doing here - remake classical music using synthesisers.The idea in and of itself is nothing new, and could certainly be seen by some as somewhat creatively lazy. Wendy Carlos and Tomita immediately come to mind. So the question for the potential buyer is this: does a recording have to be particularly groundbreaking to be of any artistic merit or to entertain? I am of the opinion that it does not, and have thoroughly and consistantly enjoyed this since I bought it several years ago. One thing is certain - the polarity of the reviews here. People have an intense like or dislike for this cd, which I suppose in the long run is better than ambivalence. The in-house Amazon reviewer also trashed this cd,( calling it "second-rate Vangelis" ) which is not surprising, considering the heaps of praise they give to the likes of Maroon 5 ( a third-rate Jamaroqui, who are themselves a third-rate Stevie Wonder ) and Ashlee Simpson ( who gives all new meaning to "third rate"). In closing all I can say is..."well, I certainly like it."

My, my, it's really interesting that this man has been involved in the music since the 1970's and it isn't until now that he's being recognized. Thank you Madonna?! Yep, it's sad but true that no matter what is said about William Orbit, Madonna's name now seems to pop up. But I guess it's about time that this genius of electronica be noticed. William Orbit has helped produce such acts as The Cure, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Kraftwerk, and the list goes on. He also has a series of his own ambient music called Strange Cargo, this series will prove to you his extraordinary gift for music. He is without hesitation one of the forerunners of present day ambient.

Moving on to `Pieces In A Modern Style', I was stupefied. He has taken current as well as classic composers and given them his own flair. Even taking Ludwig van Beethoven's Opus 132 and making it his own. Now don't expect a Madonna style remake, these are true to their original form, but done by one man with keyboards, computers and what ever else. I really like this CD, a lot. It is different but I feel that this will bring a little more respect to classical music. I have always been a fan or classical, my first introduction being more Austrian waltz music, via my grandfather, but there was a certain appreciation that started to grow. I fear that there is a minimal interest in classical music in the children of the 90's and into the millennium. I only hope that some more music of this style come forward, it's beautiful. Oh, and for you folks that do want a little dance number, there is a bonus CD, with 2 dance mixes of `Adagio for Strings' (remember Platoon?). Well, buy this, light some candles, and lay down on the floor, absorb, enjoy!

...this album attracts such mixed reviews. I feel one has to see it and use it for what it is, a simple and beautiful reworking of some classic peices with modern technological advances. It's not a philarmonic interpretaion, it never sets out to be and yet seems to attract hostile review simply because the music is not the production of an orchestra.
I think of it as like a costume drama by the BBC of some excellent Victorian novel, not as it was first intended in it's own time but a clever reworking and marketing for a modern audience thus allowing some history a new voice and a new audience. For that reason alone it desreves praise but also happens to be a beautiful and sensual album.

William Orbit's talent is not in dispute. However, he doesn't seem to have spent enough time working on this. Somehow, somewhere in my imagination I think some of his selections ("pieces") could be made to sound better, more evocative and well-crafted.

On track 9, Gorecki's "Piece in the Old Style 1", Orbit introduces in the second minute a haunting percussion that adds to the beauty of the music. It is these "master touches" that I looked for in every track on the CD. I found them on tracks 5, 9, and of course, 1. The rest was just about OK.

(I know he did this album five+ years ago, and that it was withdrawn because of some legal reason -- but he shouldn't have let it go back on the shelves without having another go at it.)

After one gets past its pretentiously crass "artsiness" (the title wants to be serious and the cover wants to look "classical"), the first reaction to "Pieces..." is "where is the beef"? It's been a while since synthethizers have been with us, and insipid "electronica" renditions of classics are hardly worth notice. The comparison of "Pieces" to Tomita's mesmerizing renditions of Holst (light years ago, but still fresh) would be an undeserved compliment. I usually enjoy creative and unconventional arrangements of classical pieces, and am always eager to "discover" cross-over artists who make me see (hear?) this great music in a new light. But this is a boring, unfocused hodge-podge. Even at his best, Orbit sounds like one of those self-propelling, diskette-recorded jobs at music store demo room. You can almost hear the sales person say "see, even if your child prodigy turns out to be less than a genius, our newest Clavinova can play all by itself, and it almost sounds like an orchestra." While Orbit's audible "touch" on Madonna's "Ray of light" was refreshing, his heavy-handedness with "modern pieces" is off-putting.

Hmmm... an admirable concept but a major disappointment. Being a person who still enjoys listening to my old "Switched on Bach" LPs every so often, I was sort of excited to hear this, imagining all the things a producer like William Orbit could do with modern electronics and production. Looking at the track listing, I could imagine all kinds of great possibilities with the selections chosen. I should have paid more attention to the negative reviews here, I guess. I fail to see why this album is selling so well. Mr. Orbit does nothing interesting with the wealth of musical material and production techniques at his disposal. It all sounds very dreary and amateurish, like a guy with a few Casio synthesizers and a 4-track. The remixes are even worse... you hear a couple bars of "Adagio for Strings" and then endless drum machine repetition with no variation at all. I wouldn't recommend this to either ambient/electronica enthusiasts or adventurous classical fans. Maybe it's meant for the Yanni and John Tesh crowd? If you want to hear classical pieces "in a modern style," you can hear far more interesting electronic interpretations by Wendy Carlos and Isao Tomita that were recorded 30+ years ago but sound more cutting edge than this. Or pick up one of Uri Caine's truly original explorations of Bach, Mahler, or Schumann. Apparently this album is showing up on the Billboard Classical Charts... the masses are buying it. I shouldn't have and you shouldn't either.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one when I first bought the CD, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I had only heard of William Orbit from his contributions to Madonna's "Ray of Light" album, and I am not a huge fan of electronica (I'm more into Sarah MacLaughlin and Tori Amos). I do enjoy listening to classical music on occasion though, so I thought I'd give this one a try. I really liked it! The music has almost a celestial feel to it - it shimmers and radiates and resonates into a pure, crisp wall of sound. The arrangements are very peaceful and calming. When you listen to this CD you can feel the stress emptying from your body;and if you close your eyes, you feel like you are floating on wave after wave of sheer sound. The music is at times blissful, other times upbeat, sometimes melancholy--but always enjoyable! Admittedly, this CD is probably not for everyone. If you are open-minded to new things and are not some kind of strict classical music purist, you might like this CD. It is different, unique, and very relaxing! Give it a try!

William Orbit is a genius in the field of electronic music production. His new album combines various techno-synthesized sounds with the original melodies of classics by Handel, Beethoven, Barber, and Vivaldi. This album is a worthy purchase for any fan of classical, electronica, or just relaxing ambient music. Best suited for relaxation, meditation, yoga, and studying.

I bought this cd thinking it would be incredible. With that expectation, I was disappointed. This cd has its moments, but is not stellar by any stretch.

Did anyone else find images of "A Clockwork Orange" began coming to mind? Has Walter...er...Wendy (whatever) Carlos changed his name? Has anyone ever seen Wendy Carlos and William Orbit in the same room? Hmmm....

At any rate, this has been done, and, perhaps, has been done better. Perhaps adding salt to Orbit's apparent wounds, this was even done better back in the late 60's (synergy) and to 70's. Save your dough on this one and buy the Clockwork Orange Soundtrack, or ANYTHING by Kraftwerk. You'll be better off. To not sound too condemning, this cd does make for a good coaster. However, the photography on the inner sleeves is equally enchanting. Very Maplethorppe-esque.

As an aside, I did get the cd with the bonus remix cd. Believe me, it didn't make the purchase much more justified.