MUSIC - TOMITA: The mind of the Universe. Live at Linz, 1984.

Occasionally, it is fun to dig deep in the CD collection and find a long forgotten gem.  Happened today with TOMITA: The mind of the Universe. Live at Linz, 1984.  It is available on Amazon, I could not find it on iTunes.

Isao Tomita is now 80 years old according to Wikipedia.  I was listening to to him since Richard Neer of WNEW-FM in NYC Played Classical Music in the last half hour before midnight in Sundays.  He was one of the first purveyors of "Space Music" along with Vangelis, Tangerine Dream, Walter (Wendy) Carlos and others.  Heavy emphasis on keyboards and synthesizers.  Sometimes Space music is considered a form of "NEW AGE MUSIC."  I believe that to be a huge mistake.  I think NEW AGE is an good term for a form of elevator music, not this.  Space Music is a form of what John Shaffer calls NEW MUSIC.  I would put Yanni the NEW MUSIC Category as well.

Classical music is an acquired taste, much like sushi.  You hardly hear it in now except in advertising for upscale cars.  Tomita always focused in using new instruments on old compositions, bringing a very new spin to folks like Beethoven and Holst.  Tomita's versions of the Classical through Modern period music got me interested in the originals, especially the work of Claude Debussy and Holst.  

One last note on Tomita.   He will take some liberties with additional sound effects that were never intended by the original artists.  This can either be interesting and patriotic as he uses a synthesizer to imitate Astronaut communications (during Mars/Jupiter)  or it can be downright distracting and excessive.  Fans of the original pieces may be annoyed in spots.  This was a mostly successful experiment in sound in an open air stadium in 1984.  Tomita had the idea to add additional speaker channels above the crowd in the sky using a HELICOPTER.  Here and there you WILL hear the helicopter!

JA

WHAT'S ON THE CD:

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra <R. Strauss> (2:20)  (Great opener of the piece associated with the movie 2001, A Space Odyssey)
2. Dawn Chorus [Based on "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 4-1: Preludio"] <Villa-Lobos> (1:43)
3. Dance of the Young Girls from "The Rite of Spring" <Stravinsky> (3:01)
4. Cranes in Their Nest [Goro Yamaguchi, Shakuhachi] <Japanese Traditional> (4:45)  Great Japanese Flute piece accompaniment (Shakuhachi)
5. Lever du Jour from "Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2" <Ravel> (3:52)     A favorite
6. The Lark Ascending [Mariko Senju, Violinist] <Vaughan Williams> (7:07)    Magnificent piece, one of the best on the CD, accompanied by Helicopter
7. Close Encounters of the Third Kind [Mariko Senju, Violinist] <Williams> (3:18)   Cutsy Hollywood, not my taste
8. Violin Concerto No. 1: Moderato; Allegro Moderato [Mariko Senju, Violinist] <Prokofiev> (7:44)
9. Liebestod from "Tristan und Isolde" <Wagner> (7:42)   Very different version of the classic.  Perhaps the most challenging piece for a Soprano opera singer.  To my ears, Liebestod is Female version of Nessun Dorma, the signature Pavorati tune.  I have a Birgit Neilson version that is a knockout.  This was also featured in the Film ARIA.  This was an "unusual R-rated film" by Ken Russel.  A very young Brigit Fonda played in the Liebestod segment about the couple that ran away to Las Vegas.  If you saw the film, which not for general consumption, it will put a spin on Liebestod for the rest of your life.  The segment is a tear jerker.
10. The Planets: Mars, The Bringer Of War Jupiter: The Bringer Of Jollity  {Holst}(7:10)   Stirring blend of the two tunes 
11. "An die Freude" from Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 [Goro Yamaguchi, Shakuhachi; Mariko Senju, Violinist; Linda Roark-Strummer, Soprano; Birgit Greiner, Alto; William Ingle, Tenor; Riccardo Lombardi, Baritone; Chorus of Linz Landestheaters] <Beethoven> (18:32)    This is the Ode to Joy from Beethovan's 9th.  Perhaps he dragged this out a bit too long but it is IMPOSSIBLE to be in a bad mood after listening to this.  Wild swings back and forth Tomita on Church organ and Synthesizers, Full Operatic cast and choir.
12. Finale from "Firebird" <Stravinsky> (1:21)  Short and sweet cherry picking finale of the classic.