The Symphonic Jean-Michel Jarre (2CD Set)

Jean Michel Jarre (Composer), Nic Raine (Conductor), City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Charlotte Kinder (Performer), Jean Michel Jarre (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Charlotte Kinder, Jean Michel Jarre
• Orchestra: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Nic Raine
• Composer: Jean Michel Jarre
• Audio CD (October 17, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Silva America
• ASIN: B000GNOI2M
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,616 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Electronic > Computer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best album of 2006 or maybe ever!, December 29, 2006

By 

- Kasia S. (New York City) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Symphonic Jean-Michel Jarre (2CD Set) (Audio CD)

I've been a fan of Jarre and his stellar electronica for the past 12 years or so. I absolutely adore all of his purely computerized music but this was a double treat. As a classical player myself since the age of 6, I have sat in concert halls from Carnegie Hall to various others playing flue, and I can only imagine how amazing the experience must have been for everyone who collaborated on this cd.

Upon the first minute of the music starting with Chronologie, every single hair on my body was standing straight. This is deep, moving, utterly breathtaking music, something that only the best movie soundtracks are composed off. All the themes are played out using a full orchestra, something that sounds more furious and enigmatic and wondrous than I would have fathomed. The added choir that soared above the music at times really made me shiver from the pure pleasure this music brought.

My favorite albums have always been the Magnetic Fields, Equinoxe, Chronologie and Industrial Revolution, but each and every one is amazingly good, to the point where I wonder in amazement where all this love and care can pour out of one person and transfix itself into music. And while I listen to this in my room, I wish I lived in a castle and then I would have blasted the music to escape each and every chamber and arch, curving around the stone gargoyles and stained glass windows.

Some other memorable compositions off this album are Gloria, Lonely Boy - with beautifully soaring vocals that reach from the pits of the soul out into the blue sky. It's bit melancholy and reminds me of the The Last Of The Mohicans: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Randy Edelman and Trevor Jones.

Equinoxe is totally fantastic, sounds like a race through time and space into far out galaxies. This is music that utterly transports the listener to another dimension of sounds and space. I can imagine hearing it in a sci-fi movie or a costume drama where action takes place in steep castles where the good and bad guys chase each other on their stallions. It sounds royal and far out at the same time.
The violins truly take Jarre's melody to another lever!

Fishing Junks at Sunset is totally gorgeous, especially fro those who love Asian music. The harp doesn't just play, it cries, breathes and moves the soul. This is pure movie magic music, I know I've heard it before! Jarre loves to take the sounds and heart beats of different nations and bring some of their mysticism into out lives. Souvenir de Chine is another fine example of music that reaches deep within.

Industrial Revolution sounds like all the blacksmiths on Earth slamming down on their iron anvils. Mesmerizing and fantastic, followed with a mechanical sounding organs and brass instruments in the foreground with strings crying out in between. This makes me feel as if Im in a medieval forest, full of magic and mystery. I can only imagine what wondrous soundtrack to a movie this would make!

Magnetic Fields 1 is a classic, they are the pinnacle of perfection when it comes to early electronics music. It took about five seconds upon hearing this the first time in my life for me to fall head over heels for this music, and mind you I was about thirteen.

This review will turn into a book if I describe each and every piece of music, so I recommend this to anyone with ears and love for moving sounds. This album is for those who love music to be so good it makes them want to cry while it's still being really cool at the same time.

- Kasia S.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, January 8, 2007

By 

Costas Tsiouklas (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Symphonic Jean-Michel Jarre (2CD Set) (Audio CD)

From the opening notes this is a journey into sonic landscapes that only the legendary JMJ can create. Only this time, these tracks have a more "organic" feel about them as they are performed by a symphony orchestra. I have every JMJ CD and this is easily in the top 3 if not number 1 overall. It is that good. I cannot recommend this any higher. If you are a fan of beautiful music, you owe it to yourself to buy this CD. It is simply outstanding. I only wish that more of JMJ's music is released in this format. Once you have heard this CD you will yearn for more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jarre is symphonic enough, November 4, 2009

By 

Michael R. Grossman (Republican City, Fl) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Symphonic Jean-Michel Jarre (2CD Set) (Audio CD)

When I first found this CD, I immediately thought it a bit redundant: Isn't Jarre already symphonic enough, even exploring possibilities in orchestration that a collection of acoustic instruments can't?

While the recording is of very high quality, I don't think the adaptation of Jarre's music really adds anything new. In fact, this "symphonic" version of Jarre's music fails to sound as alive and organic are Jarre's original electronic composition. Particularly in Chronologie and Rev. Industrielle, the overwhelming feeling I get is that the music has been grossly SIMPLIFIED. The rhythms of the real orchestra sound a bit mechanical, repetitive, and lacking in the, uhh, organic oomf, (I just can't believe it's sequenced!) that so impresses me about Jarre's electronic music.

Also, I was very surprised to see so much of Jarre's weaker material selected: silly little, almost Kaempfert-esque ditties like "Computer Weekend" and "The Last Rhumba" really do not impress, whether you play them with an orchestra or an electronic ensemble of some sort. Rather than put us to sleep with the chords of "souvenir of china," and "fishing junks at sunset," wouldn't it be more interesting to see what an orchestra could do with Chronologie 6 or treat us to some lesser-known rarities like "Les Granges Brulees" (sp.? pardon my French.)

The sound quality of this disc is absolutely outstanding. But I think more risks should have been taken with the orchestration: Michael Nyman or Richard Wagner have shown that acoustic instruments can be used in strange and innovative ways to achieve stiking, unusual sound textures. Also, almost half the music is too simple to bother with a symphony: L'Emigrant, computer weekend, Acropolis, rendezvous 4, Eldorado, Gloria, Fishing Junks at sunset.

A strong showing for the recording engineers, but the music is too conservative. Often, I just want to stop the CD and put on the original Jarre disc.