Spheres

Keith Jarrett | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ecm Records
• ASIN: B0000261JN
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,408 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful baroque organ improvisations!, June 19, 1999

By 

Ray ([e-mail]) (Leominster, Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spheres (Audio CD)

Recorded in September 1976 at Ottobeuren Abbey, W.Germany- and a unique diversion from his earlier works- Keith Jarrett paint's a beautifully evocative, sad, and poignant landscape of sound (both beautifully harmonic and wonderfully dissonant) on the "Trinity Organ", the larger of the Karl Joseph Riepp (1715-1775) Organs at the Benedictine Abbey Ottobeuren. According to the original album liner notes: "No overdubs, technical ornamentations or additions were utilized, only the pure sound of the organ in the abbey is heard. Many of the unique effects, although never before used, were accomplished by pulling certain stops part way, while others remain completely open or closed. Amazingly, baroque organs have always had this capability."

These pieces have always affected me in a deep and reflective way (to me the music is both sad and uplifting) and 20 years after initially purchasing the double-album on ECM (originally titled "Hymns Spheres" Catalog# ECM-2-1086) the music still has the same affect.

Sadly, two pieces -the original recording's opening and closing compositions titled "Hymn Of Remembrance" and "Hymn Of Release"- were ommitted, probably due to time constraints. Still, I highly recommend "Spheres" although I wish ECM released this work intact as a double-CD release.

- Ray

(...)

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars why not the whole thing?, May 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Spheres (Audio CD)

Yes, this is really an amazing performance. Shards of sound, whispers of melody, great atmospherics. At times the music reminds me of Ligeti pieces like "Atmospheres"; music that is more about color and dynamics rather than melody and counterpoint. Jarrett coaxes just about every imagineable sound out of a baroque organ, with its myriad of tone colors and strange intonation.
This CD is actually a severely truncated version of the LP set "Hymns/Spheres", which was at least twice the length of this release (only 4 of 9 movements of "Spheres" are on the CD, and the two lengthy "Hymns" are missing). I would assume that the reason is that ECM figured not enough people would buy the complete set on CD, but this is my official request for them to
release this set in its entirety.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only own one piece of music in your life..., April 9, 2000

By 

Shane (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spheres (Audio CD)

This is it. I originally purchased the Hymns/Spheres 2 LP set in the 80s in a used record store while looking for some of Jarrett's jazz titles. When I listened to it I found a work so phenomenal and inspiring that it changed my musical tastes forever. I have been listening to this recording off and on for years, yet its depth and complexity only seem to improve with age. Initially almost atonal to the uninitiated, the familiar ear sees only the purest serenity. This is easily my favorite work (by anyone, any genre) of all time. If anyone at EMI is listening, please do the right thing and release a remastered, unedited version again.