Customer Reviews

Revolutionary [Includes Bonus DVD]

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The reviews are mixed as I expected. There is so much to consider with the CD/DVD. The purists will hate it. The novice will be blown away.
I have been learning as much as I can about Cameron from the web. As a former/retired teacher I see Cameron as a true genius- not for his technical ability, but the way he is put together mentally. He is so far beyond what the average person can grasp or comprehend, that he is completely misunderstood.
Can he play tradition organ music in a tradition fashion- musically? Of course he can. So can many fine talented organists. Will those performances reach the common public? Perhaps not. Will his performances reach the common public? Probably. And in this day when youth demands over-stimulation to catch their attention, this will do it. Contrary to what the purists say, he IS very musical. The performances are just so different in their renderings, that the purists don't see/hear it- or can't accept it. Probably the latter.
Cameron is another Virgil Fox or Jean Gilliou. Both were/are misunderstood, both were/are controversial, both were/are very musical and talented. Different does NOT mean BAD!!! Different is JUST different.
If you can grasp what Cameron is trying to say on his recent Pipedreams {www.pipedreams.org} program #0837, he tells what he is trying to do. He has the purpose to reach a new generation and let them know that the organ is still the greatest instrument of all time and not just something found in a church for Sunday worship services.
I hope to see more of Cameron Carpenter, not just hear more. Visually, he is captivating in his technical ability. I hope he will do more improvisations done on the spot and not written previously for performance. He is so good at them.
Keep an open mind. Know that you are watching/hearing a genius. We have so few among us today.
Good Luck, Cameron!

One thing certain about Cameron Carpenter; he is outrageous. And, that's a good thing. Not since Virgil Fox has someone come along to shake-up the world of "classical" music performance as Cameron has. Mr. Carpenter re-invents the organ, or he would rather me say, organ performance, or maybe performance in general.
As a piano and voice student at Westminster during the '70's I was outnumbered by a lot of very talented organists. I heard more organ concerts and more arm-chair lectures on how to play the damn thing than I care to recollect. But, make no mistake, these organists were a wild lot and Cameron Carpenter is no exception.
Most of the material on the CD is, well, new. Yes, one could go on and on about tampering with Bach, techincal display and ego and the rest of that rubbish. Who cares? It's new - and new is something lacking in music these days. I dare anyone who trashes this effort to do what he does-and do it with a style that is undeniably rebellious, unique and inventive. Kudos to you, Mr. Carpenter. Break all the boundries, smash the status quo to bits and overwhelm us with your technical and imaginative genius. I'd like to hear and see more.

I too have a degree in Organ Performance. All instruments have been improved over the decades and centuries. Playing Mozart on the piano today does not sound like Mozart during his own time. I love the fact that Mr. Carpenter is taking advantage of modern technology and his own musical sensibility. Say what you will....a talent like this is rare....and only comes along every 100 years or so. I hope he does become a star....then the organ will become a star as well. He does not play with Bach's emotion...he plays with his own. Bravo.

Cameron Carpenter (formerly Taylor Carpenter) possesses what is arguably the most advanced organ technique on the planet, and quite possibly the most advanced ever. His ability to play three manuals simultaneously, his amazingly nimble pedal technique, his complete command of the instrument's every resource, are nothing less than awe-inspiring.

Mr. Cameron has plainly stated that his goal is to make himself a star. He believes organ performances should be all about the performer, not the instrument, and that historically-informed performances should never stand in the way of putting on a spectacular show. Therefore, his approach to the organ's repertoire is understandably controversial. He plays Bach in a way that Bach would never have played. He uses tempos, registrations and dynamics in direct contradiction to what the composers indicated in their scores. For those who don't know better, it makes for the sonic equivalent to a trip to Disney World, worthy of fireworks and laser shows; for those who do know better, it makes for a gaudy, narcissistic display of arrogant disregard.

Since I have a degree in organ performance, I can't help but "know better." I would much rather watch Mr. Carpenter improvise than butcher the greatest pieces ever written for the organ. He certainly proves himself a phenomenal performer, but the great disservice he inflicts upon those time-honored composers is hard to ignore. Mr. Cameron is an expert at improvisation, he could put on an equally spectacular show simply improvising on given themes or popular tunes. Why choose pieces from the organ repertoire and perform them in such a way? Why not play a stack of synthesizers instead of the organ? The simple answer: to get the attention of people who know better. Yes, his goal is to make himself a star, and there is no such thing as bad publicity.

There is, however, such a thing as a "flash in the pan," and I suspect Mr. Cameron might be just that. The clothes, the makeup, the attitude, the quotes from interviews...this is a "look at me" personality in full bloom, and just like a group of junior-high kids at the mall, it can become annoying very quickly. Perhaps Mr. Cameron will grow out of it before his audience grows out of him.

The accompanying DVD made me laugh. It looks like it was filmed on the set of American Idol and edited by the people who edit daytime soap operas. It's a shame every track on the CD wasn't filmed the way Mr. Carpenter's concerts at Trinity Wall Street were filmed. In fact, this CD should have been a DVD. If Mr. Carpenter is to become a star, it will be because of his stunning technique and unusual attire, not his sensitive and scholarly musical insight. Mr. Carpenter can't become famous if we can't see him, no more than an actor can become famous by only doing voice-overs.

I first stumbled across this artist on YouTube and his live performance of "Stars and Stripes" was so tremendous, I emailed the link to all of my musical friends. I am a concert pianist and have played and heard many, many concerts in my life and I have to say that we need more Cameron Carpenters breathing new life into classical music. Most organ recitals are yawnsville but his playing is a long, long way from the pedantry of many organists' precious interpretations of Bach and others. Yes, he is brash and somewhat over the top in places, but he plays with such amazing virtuosity, such sensitivity to color and phrasing, that he creates some of the most compelling performances within memory. His playing is in the tradition of Franz Liszt (and having read all three volumes of Alan Walker's stupendous biography of Liszt, I am sure FL would have loved Carpenter's "Mephisto"), Vladimir Horowitz, and Virgil Fox. This is no flash in the pan; I feel sure he will be around a long time and will evolve from being the "l'enfant terrible" of the organ to the grand old master who is widely recognized for ushering in a whole new era of organ virtuosity. Simply amazing...

Yes this man is talented but the noise he produces is not very pleasant. How smart I am is not the same as how good a musician I am

Cameron takes the organ, an instrument that has rarely been recognized in any other setting other than church, and brings it out into a performance realm. Cameron is a prodigy and he will bring a lot more interest and respect to the organ world. Whether you love classical music or are a person who dabbles in a little of everything. this is a record to check out!

Perhaps the only thing that breeds more envious contempt than success is brilliance. Especially the brilliant genius of one such as Cameron Carpenter. Hence all the mincingly polite nay-saying in the comments section on this recording, most of it likely penned by Ivory Tower Snobs who haven't even heard it!

What Cameron Carpenter is doing is incredible -- mind boggling -- and will only mean GREAT THINGS for the organ, an instrument that needs all the positive P.R. it can get: In what other profession are some of its members railing against bright new talent when it comes along, even as their profession is dying right at their feet?

"...."There is current in our land ... a kind of nitpicking worship of historic impotence. They want to put Bach -- the greatest musician of all time - on top of a dusty shelf, in some stuffy old museum, underneath a glass case, next to some old queen's comb." -- Virgil Fox, 1912-1980 (another organ revolutionary)

I think that what Mr. Carpenter is doing is revolutionary indeed. This is a twist on a genre that needs more attention paid to it, and the arrangements are quite unique. I think it's an interesting addition to any catalogue.

Incredible technique with the organ. One would think that what he does is impossible, but yet he does it. Musical value is questionable but entertaining. Reminds me of Virgil Fox at his best, but technique overshadows the music to a great extent. Loved the DVD just to see it all happen. This guy can have a great future, but the musical values must be improved a great deal. Fun to listen to and watch, worth the price.