Silver Ship

Suzanne Ciani | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 14, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Seventh Wave
• ASIN: B0009941I4
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,955 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In the late 1980s, the "beautiful music" radio format came to an end when Philadelphia's Easy 101, WEAZ-FM, switched formats and call letters. It's a shame, because Suzanne Ciani's music would have been perfect there. She's a veteran keyboardist who started out composing avant-garde works on a keyboardless Buchla synthesizer. She went on to fortune as a commercial jingle writer and fame as an early New Age star. But over the years, Ciani has been plying a treacle-laced brand of instrumental music in which she wears her heart on a keyboard adorned with Hallmark valentine homilies. Though marketed as New Age, her faux-orchestral music shares more of a lineage with 101 Strings, with compositions full of orchestral sweep and gentle melodies that attain the sentimental but never the serene or the sublime. "Sargasso Sea," a duet with cellist Joe Hébert, suggests that Ciani can go a little deeper, and oboist Paul McCandless of Oregon almost pulls out "Wine Dark Sea." His beautiful multitracked oboe and English horn lines echo and intertwine with each other before he breaks out into solos. But tracks like "Dentecane" are swept overboard by Ciani's overwrought melodies and strings. If your idea of romance is candlelit dinners, moonlit walks, and a Mantovani soundtrack, take a trip on her Silver Ship. --John Diliberto

Product Description

Silver Ship won the Indie Award for Best New Age Album in 2006. 10 original compositions that represent the ultimate artistic maturity of five-time Grammy nominee Suzanne Ciani. A flowering of her classical acoustic and electronic roots. An audiophile CD, recorded at 192Khz/24bit resolution. Come aboard Ciani's Silver Ship and let Suzanne take you to the mystical places of her imagination, where emotions run as high and deep as the seas. Featuring members of The Wave (as seen on PBS): Paul McCandless, Matt Eakle, Teja Bell, Michael Manring.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars from MainlyPiano.com, July 10, 2005

By 

Kathy Parsons (Florence, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Silver Ship (Audio CD)

"Silver Ship" is the first album of new material from five-time Grammy nominee Suzanne Ciani since 1999's "Turning." Like that album, many of the tracks feature members of her performing group, The Wave, most notably Paul McCandless on a variety of reed instruments, Matt Eakle on flute, Teja Bell on guitar, and Michael Manring on bass. Also very notable is phenomenal cellist Joe Hebert. Most of the music is light and breezy, creating an atmosphere of peace and serenity. Ciani says her muse had been dormant for five years and made an appearance while she was visiting family in Italy, the scene of many of her musical creations over the years. Not as experimental as earlier work, this is the music of a mature artist creating for the love of it. Ciani's classical roots are clear in the orchestrations, but her long history in electronic music is also apparent, as is her deep love of the ocean.

Many of the arrangements are full, lush orchestrations, but the most poignant piece on the album is the simplest. "Sargasso Sea" is an incredibly beautiful duet with Ciani on piano and Joe Hebert on cello. This is one of Ciani's most emotionally compelling pieces ever, and Hebert's soulful cello cuts right to the heart. This piece is worth the price of the CD alone - it's a knockout! I also really like "Snow Crystals," a more electronic piece that sparkles and dances with tiny bell sounds and oboe, as well as bass - this is classic Ciani, mixing acoustic with electronic to great effect. I also really like "Wine Dark Sea," a rhythmic, exotic piece that features Paul McCandless on oboe and Teja Bell on guitar. Dark and mysterious, this piece has a hypnotic flow. "Capri" is a joyful little confection that features Matt Eakle on flute - again classic Ciani. "Eclipse" is a little bit darker, with lots of strings along with the piano - very symphonic, and very deeply felt. The title song is a sweet lullaby sung by Valerie Wilson. The instrumentation is very simple - mostly acoustic guitar with some electronic voices and effects.

Suzanne Ciani has been one of my favorite composers for many years, and I teach her piano solos literally every day. I love her piano work best, but this album is a gentle, soothing collection of beautiful music performed with some of her favorite musicians. I don't think Ciani's many fans will be disappointed with this album, and a couple of the songs are among her very best. Recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good NewAge artist......................, September 20, 2007

By 

Tanis "Tanis Yvonne Somerville" (Seahurst, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silver Ship (Audio CD)

With her usual style, romantic, sweet and melodic, Suzanne has composed for this album ten themes, which range between the most Classical side in her style, and the most New Age. A pleasant, melodic and very orchestral music, where the keyboards and the fine arrangements have a fundamental presence. Almost all the themes are rhythmic, even though not quite fast, and give the leading role to the melodies. On the whole, this album has a great emotional load. The music reaches deep inside when listened to with due attention. Paul McCandless (wind instruments), Matt Eakle (flute), Teja Bell (guitar), Joe Hebert (cello), Michael Manring (bass), Michael Whalen (percussion) and Valerie Wilson (vocals) collaborate in this album.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Ciani CD, March 13, 2007

By 

Book lover (Sault Sainte Marie, MI United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Silver Ship (Audio CD)

This was the first Suzanne Ciani CD I purchased. I have been playing it almost nonstop since first putting it in my CD player. I just ordered two more of her CDs and if they are as nice as this one she will be on my list of most favorites along with Secret Garden.