Pianissimo II [ENHANCED]

Suzanne Ciani

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 2, 1996)
• Original Release Date: April 2, 1996
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Seventh Wave
• ASIN: B000003M2T
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #147,007 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Booksellers Network
"As a piano recording it is nearly perfection."

Product Description
Pianissimo II was Grammy-nominated for Best New Age Album. Recorded at Skywalker Ranch on a hand-bilt Yamaha concert grand, this is the second of her greatly popular solo piano albums. Her first, Pianissimo, sold over 260,000 copies. This CD includes a multimedia enhancement with an overview of Ciani's career.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a Timeless Recording!, May 19, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

Suzanne Ciani's music have always set the mood for any occasion. This album is no exception. In Pianissimo II, Suzanne performs her favorite songs on a concert grand piano at George Lucas's Skywalker Studio. She also has three new songs on this album too.

The recording quality is superb along with Suzanne's liner notes on each song. Each song is very moving and if you really concentrate on each song, imagery comes into play.

For example, I listened to my favorite song "Timeless" located on Track 15. It made me think about looking at a photo album and watching my mom grow older (and wiser) through time. I sure that other listeners who bought this album with have many images that will blend with her songs.

Another neat addition to this album is the Computer Multimedia Enhancement track. Put this album in a Macintosh or Windows based PC and let Suzanne show you how the album was produced and meet her staff who helped made it possible. There are some other surprises too.

All in all, it's a great recording. Highly recommended.

Larry Klug - Cincinnati, OH

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful music by a talented composer, September 15, 1999

By A Customer

I first heard about Suzanne Ciani from the Romantic Piano website (members.xoom.com/sims_music/piano/). I fell in love with her melodies. The difference that seperates her from other "New Age" composers such as Jim Brickman and Yanni, is that the form in her music is very tight. Her music does not sound like improvisations at all. One could walk away from one of her concerts and remember each song, while this is hard at other concerts where all the music sounds the same. Bravo to Ciani for giving us an escape from all the other terrible piano music out there.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Acoustic Persistence, June 8, 2004

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)

After the success of Suzanne Ciani's first acoustic piano album 'Pianissimo,' it's no surprise that she would venture into the world of hammers and strings again. Nor is it any surprise that her second album is just as pleasurable as the first. Ostensible created out of previous electronic pieces dating as far back as 1983 (The Velocity of Love) most of the work comes from the 1990's - as late as 1996 Princess, Etude, and Timeless). This gives the listener an opportunity to see how the acoustic side of this musician has matured, and how it has affected her overall work.

Frankly, I like Ciani better as an acoustic performer. The underlying percussive nature of the natural piano lends her a definition that is sometimes lacking in her electronic work. As much as people might argue with me, I believe that control is more of an issue with electronic composition and performance than it is with an acoustic instrument. The latter is beautiful 'in spite' of its limitations, the former can hypnotize the artist with its textures, diluting the melodic content. Compare, for instance, the original Velocity of Love with the version presented here. While the two versions are both pianistic, the original is a bit more diffuse even thought it is more orchestrated. Both are beautiful though.

Ciani has a native melodic skill that produced consistently affecting work. As I've mentioned before, her music is more intimate and less bravura than other, equally good pianists. Not that she isn't capable of moments of dazzling performance (Andalusian Dream), but her niche is really the song, and not the singer (Go Gently, and Bel Canto). I've been listening to this album for several weeks now, postponing reviewing it to listen 'one more time,' and it refuses to get tiresome.

I never did manage to get the included multimedia track to work on either my Mac or my PC's, which is probably my fault. But as I've said, it isn't why I bought the album. I bought it for the music, and there is plenty of that.