Spring Beauties [Import]

. (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 18, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Koch Int'L Classics
• ASIN: B000009QA6
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #627,919 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sandpoint Rag

2. 12-Note Row Rag

3. Lost & Found Rag, for piano

4. Jump Cut Rag, for piano

5. Dog Day Rag, for piano

6. Tangled Rag, for piano

7. Sound End Rag, for piano

8. Rag Bag, for piano, Op.19

9. Nightmare Fantasy Rag, for piano

10. Calamity Rag, for piano

11. Fits & Starts Rag, for piano

12. That Mysterious Rag, song

13. Spring Beauties, for piano

14. Behemoth Two-Step, for piano

15. Anchoria Leland, for piano

16. Maloney Rag

17. Hesitation Rag, for piano

18. Toccata Rag, for piano

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Each His Own, April 10, 2006

By 

Dr. Christopher Coleman (HONG KONG) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spring Beauties (Audio CD)

When I heard this CD, I couldn't wait to see what others had thought of it, and to share my enthusiasm for it with Amazon readers. I think it's a fantastic collection of absolutely terrific pieces, for the most part; and all beautifully played. I do understand the previous reviewer's point--it's NOT Joplin (although Gunther Schuller, Scott Wheeler and some others come pretty close)--but then, if I want to listen to Joplin, I'm going to put on....Joplin. Gimpy is misrepresenting the disc when he says "many of the pieces do not even remotely follow the classic rag form-some on this disc are seven or even ten minutes long"--exactly ONE piece is 10 minutes long, one is seven, one is six; and the remaining 15 are less than 5 minutes each. And I wouldn't call even William Albrignt's Nightmare Fantasy Rag (the 10 minute piece) "non-melodic"--it's definitely wild, at times dissonant, but completely thrilling and even has melodies one can sing along to. It's my favorite piece on the disc, and I'm certain Gimpy's least favorite. But it's also very much an exception, as is Kenneth Laufer's Twelve Note Rag--a terrific wonderfully weird piece, and Mark Kuss's Jump Cut Rag (not one of my favorites). But Schuller's Sand Point Rag, Wheeler's Calamity Rag, Brian Dykstra's Spring Beauties, Stefan Kozinski's Maloney Rag and most of the others are respectful of the ragtime tradition and clearly recognizable as rags. Joplin is great--I've taught Joplin rags here in my music theory classes at Hong Kong Baptist University for 17 years--but he's not the end of the road when it comes to rags; instead, he's at the beginning. Keep 'em coming, in my opinion!

3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical ragtime, December 15, 2003

By 

"Gimpy" Peach Johnson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spring Beauties (Audio CD)

I ordered this CD without hearing it, after having immensely enjoyed Eskin's Joseph Lamb and Ragtime Women albums. I was not very impressed with "Spring Beauties." While the music I'm sure is quite difficult to play, I also found it quite difficult to listen to. I'm not blaming Eskin's playing which I've always been impressed with in the past, rather, I'm disappointed in the material she chose to record. This is not your typical ragtime! Of course, the CD does state that this is new ragtime composed by modern composers, but I expected new ragtime pieces that sound like classic rags. Nope. Unlike such delightful modern rags as Bolcom's "Graceful Ghost," Glenn Jenks's "Harbour Rag," or Max Morath's "One For Amelia," which are recognizeable as ragtime, most of the pieces on this disc bear very little resemblance to the ragtime I know. They are often dissonant, non-melodic, and harsh-sounding. Definitely not Joplin! Besides, many of the pieces do not even remotely follow the classic rag form-some on this disc are seven or even ten minutes long. I suppose if you like modern art music you may enjoy this disc, but as a fan of the music of Scott Joplin, Joseph Lamb, James Scott, Artie Matthews, and others of that time, I found that this CD just isn't my cup of tea.