Chimeras

Track Listings

1. One

2. Two

3. Three

4. Four

5. Five

6. Six

7. Seven

8. Eight

9. Nine

10. Ten

11. Interlude

12. Eleven

13. Twelve

Tracks:

Toccata In D Minor: The Phantom At The Organ
Vales Of Dreams: Vale Of Dreams
Night Winds
The Firebird (Introduction): In The Dark Of Night
The Firebird (Dance Of Kashchei's Retinue): The Evil Sorcerer
Bagatelle No. 1: Mysterious Encounter
Bagatelle No. 4: The Forbidden Garden
Contrasts: Agent In Peril
Fantasia, Largo: Lost In The Rain Forest
Berceuse: The Firebird's Spell
Quintet, Op. 39, V: The Intruder
Serenade, Op. 12, II: The Deserted Encampment
Song Of The Nightingale: The Mysterious Bird
Prince Ivan & The Frog Princess: Apparitions
Prince Ivan & The Frog Princess: Poltergeists
The Snow Queen: Hobgoblins
Carol Rosenberger: Ghosts
Gargoyles And Chimeras
Quartet In F, III: Dark Moon

Gargoyles And Chimeras-Exotic Works For Organ

Average customer rating:

Weird But Wonderful Organ Music!

Gargoyles And Chimeras-Exotic Works For Organ

Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Caprices | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Masses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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Hymns on the Crystal Cathedral Organ

ASIN: B0000006X0
Release Date: 1992-12-11

Tracks:

Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Battle On The Fifth Tone
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Capriccio
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Grand Chorus With Thunder
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Sonata For Organ In The Guise Of A Military Band
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Bolero de Concert
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Elevation
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: On The Rhine
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Gargoyles & Chimeras
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Prelude & Fugue in C Major
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Carillion
Gargoyles And Chimeras: Exotic Works For Organ: Carillion Op 27 No. 4

Customer Reviews:

Weird But Wonderful Organ Music! .......2006-01-31

This CD offers a generous (73+ minutes) sampling of "exotic" works for organ played by David Britton on the 1987 Rosales organ (3 manuals, 87 ranks) in the Trinity Episcopal Church of Portland, Oregon. Though the works are not in the mainstream of organ music, nearly all were written by very reputable composers, offering some degree of quality assurance. Thus we find the pieces not insanely quirky, though unusual in one way or another. The organ used is a fine, then brand-new, instrument and it is played very well by Mr. Britton, who has the musical background and talent needed to bring these esoteric works to life.

The first piece, "Battle on the Fifth Tone," is by the little-known 17th century Portuguese composer, Diogo de Conceiao. In an area torn by frequent wars battle pieces were not uncommon then, though such programmatic descriptions are less often encountered today. (Don't forget Tchaikovsky's Overture of 1812 with its cannonfire, though.) The music is very listenable, with fine full organ sounds and pungent reeds playing occasional bugle calls. The numerous florid scale passages remind us of Gabrieli's organ "intonations." Overall a very nice piece of Iberian period music.

Next is early capriccio by J.S. Bach with the odd title "On the Departure to Distant Climes of his Dearly Beloved Brother" BWV 992, wherein he tried to convince his older brother not to venture off to Poland to play oboe in a band. The programmatic piece consists of 6 parts in varying moods to portray feelings associated with the departure, and young Bach's manuscript contains errors and/or awkwardnesses which surprise us today, steeped as we are in our conception of Bach the consummate Baroque master. (Mr. Britton, in his arrangement, corrects only the most obvious errors in order to let the vulnerabilities of the young genius come through.)

Michel Corette's 18th century "Grand Chorus with Thunder" is a nature piece, of course. To contrive the thunder he prescribes a plank to be placed across the bottom octave of the pedals, and the effect of this low-pitched tone cluster is striking. The music, other than the thunder, is fine and characteristic. (Compare the storm scene in Grofe's 20th century "Grand Canyon Suite" for orchestra.)

Gherardeschi's "Sonata for Organ in the Guise of a Military Band Which Plays a March" sounds like a fairly typical 18th century march until we hear the nightingale's call (imitated by the organ's Rossignol stop: two pipes in water). (Compare Resphighi's "Pines of Rome" featuring a recording of the nightingale's song.) It is a rather charming antique by an unfamiliar composer, about whom the liner notes tell us nothing.

Lefebure-Wely's name will be recognized by organ-lovers, though his reputation as a serious composer may be slight. Still, the "Bolero de Concert" is a very pleasing bit of dance music, in which reeds sound characteristic Spanish motifs that yield to a lovely flute-like interlude before returning. His "Elevation" is a sober and dignified piece fully in keeping with its liturgical function.

Louis Vierne is a well-known and highly respected writer for the organ, who presided over that instrument at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris during the early 20th century. His 24 fantasy pieces include "On the Rhine" and "Gargoyles and Chimeras." The former is a suitably majestic and impressive evocation of the historic river, recalling Wagner's "Rheingold" but, even more, Smetana's "Moldau." It's a fine piece, well-played. The latter is an appropriately spooky portrayal of the fierce and fantastic creatures peering down from the cathedral roof to scare away evil spirits: great Halloween music!

Saint-Saens needs no introduction. His "Prelude and Fugue in C Major," opus 109, reflect the enormous talent and versatility of this accomplished pianist, organist, and composer of 19th century Paris. I don't know why this work was included, for it seems not at all strange or exotic, just very fine French music.

The 20th century American, Leo Sowerby, likewise is familiar to organ music lovers. His "Carillon" is a lovely, coloristic tonepiece, which after a dreamy introduction presents a simple, repetitive bell-like pattern to evoke the carillon for which it is named. Toward the end actual handbells join in to echo the bell theme. It is overall a sweet, gentle, and nostalgic piece.

In contrast, Marcel Dupre's "Carillon," opus 27, no. 4, is a much more active, vigorous, and robust presentation of the bells. The piece grips you with its energy and excitement and carries you along relentlessly toward its grand and thrilling climax. Along the way some stretches of machine-like repetition seem to give a foretaste of today's minimalism.

I recommend this CD highly to those who have a particular interest in organ music or in unusual, exotic, or especially fantastic, imaginative pieces presented in a colorful and exciting way. Since it can be had at a surprisingly low price, you'll surely get your money's worth!

Average customer rating:

"A child's adventures in the realms of the unreal".
world of illusions.
Not as bad as they say.

Chimeras

Manufacturer: Tzadik
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Duras: Duchamp
The String Quartets
Redbird
Aporias: Requia For Piano & Orchestra
Elegy

ASIN: B00008O30D
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Tracks:

One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Interlude
Eleven
Twelve

Customer Reviews:

"A child's adventures in the realms of the unreal"........2005-12-21

A highly unusual composition, even for John Zorn, "Chimeras" consists of twelve movements (and one interlude) scored for sextet plus voice. Each movement pits the vocalist (primarily soprano Ilana Davidson, joined by Elizabeth Farnum on two movements) against some combination of the accompaniment-- two reeds (Tara O'Connor on flutes, Mike Lowenstern on clarinet), two strings (Jennifer Choi on violin and Fred Sherry on cello), keyboard (Stephen Drury, performing at piano, organ, and celesta) and percussion (William Winant). The music is loosely influenced by Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire", with the same instrumentatal arrangement but with percussion added), but it's probably the cover, a reproduction of a painting by Heironymous Bosch, that best sums up what's held inside.

Zorn subtitled the piece "A Child's Adventures in the Realms of the Unreal", and perhaps this is an accurate assessment. The movements find the vocalist in a number of contexts, sometimes framing, sometimes supporting, sometimes leading-- everything from frantic piano-violin-cello trios to delicate percussion, droning organs and bass flute, horn-and-strings, and so on provide shifting colors against which the vocal works. A couple instrumental passages serve as almost a deep breath (particularly the percussion only interlude) in the midst of this.

When it's over, honestly, I'm left with not much feeling. It's an excessively difficult piece, and I can't really say I got much from it. Given that I've found much of Zorn's classical work to be moving, this always sort of disappoints me. Having said that, I find the experience of listening to this one oddly compelling (and curiously enough, it seems to raise my productivity at work), and as such, I tend to listen to it a lot. I may change my mind in the future, but for now I'll call this three stars. If you're into Zorn's classical work, it's well worth the investment.

world of illusions........2004-06-08

John Zorn's most recent entry to his New Composers series is one that succeeds on multiple levels. It is a genuinely disconcerting sonic experience. The internal mechanics of the composition itself is remarkably intriguing and it succeeds in isolating and maintaining a deep emotional resonance. Says Zorn: "Although based on mathematical models I have tried to make _Chimeras_ a work of passion, drama and imagination." I can't say much about how it is composed, but it is an amazing piece, very intense.

_Chimeras_ is scored for the same chamber ensemble as Schoenberg's _Pierrot lunaire_, with percussion added and an additional vocalist on two pieces. Superficially, it does sound like _Pierrot lunaire_, and different pieces use different combinations of instruments. But Zorn's work is actually more fantastic, weird, and evocative like an Alice-in-Wonderland-on-acid, compared to Schoenberg's piece, which is melodramatic and outlandish and frightening. The percussion of avant-garde virtuoso-genius William Winant adds a great deal to the sonic possibilities here. _Chimeras_ is an organic, mysterious and kaleidoscopic soundworld. The vocals are remarkable, switching to shrill outbursts to glassy vibrato in a split-second. Well nuanced, contrapuntal, and forceful is the instrumentation with its serpentine atonal evocations chasing each other through a demented scene. The moods range from tense & menacing to devilishly whimsical to alienated & saddening. Rich colors spring from the strange tonal combinations and timbral connections. The twelve pieces (and an interlude) seem to build a dangerous drama, culminating in the tutti of "Eleven" (for all instruments), until it is released in the final piece for voice, piano, cello, and percussion, which excludes the pitch Bb.

All in all, a great new composition from great American composer performed by some of the best musicians in the world.

Not as bad as they say........2004-01-22

Chimeras isn't as bad as they say. In fact it's not really bad for a piece of new music that neither contains anything I would consider "new" nor anything most would consider "music."

Average customer rating:

CHIMERAS

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00099IFYA

Average customer rating:

Better than Gnarls, Gorillaz, Madonna, M.I.A. Because...

Various Chimeras
Shinjuku Zulu
Manufacturer: Neuphoria Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000FQW05M
Release Date: 2006-06-06

Tracks:

Tombouctou, Adieu! (ragtime electronica)
Shanghai Masai feat. MC Shankhini (hip hop dance)
Dirty Liar feat. MC GENERAL & Shawn Skeir (hip hop electronic)
Make Me Shake (Gimme Some Crush Crush) feat. Larissa Gomes & Shankhini (grime pop)
Chimera Hey Ya! feat. Shawn Skeir (dance electronica)
Da Riddim Griffin feat. Caryn Green, Shankhini (dance electronic)
Be My Woman, Be My Man feat. Shawn Skeir (dance)
Slow Is the New Fast feat. Shankhini, Sydney White (hip hop jazz)
My Man, Amen feat. Sydney White (downtempo)
Rainbowbeau feat. Larissa Gomes (ambient pop)
Scarborough Fair (a True Dub of Mine) feat. Giancarlo (ambient)
Massive Ballerina (Pirouettes for Millennia) feat. Miz Mac (rock electronica)
We Do Supersonic feat. Prince I (dance electronica)
Tuktuyuktuk tu Timbuktu feat. Giancarlo (world ambient)
Coal Coal Black feat. Shankhini (downtempo electronica)
One Come We feat. Prince I (chillout ambient)
The Way You Move Your Beauty feat. Larissa Gomes (dance electronica)
Slow Is the New Faster (K.I.A. remix) (dance electronica)
Hi, Shanghai... (ragtime electronica)

Product Description

Shinjuku Zulu "Various Chimeras" = (Gorillaz + Gnarls Barkley) x (Massive Attack x M.I.A.) ÷ (Air + Thievery Corporation + Buddha Bar) x (St. Germain x Verve Remixed x Zero 7) + (Moby + Morcheeba x Groove Armada). 19 songs, 12 vocalists; uptempo/dance and downempo/chillout pop electronica over 80 minutes.

Customer Reviews:

Better than Gnarls, Gorillaz, Madonna, M.I.A. Because..........2006-07-01

Bought the CD (from Amazon, but it's on iTunes) upon reading great reviews (in Toronto Star, Cokemachineglow, etc.) Well worth it. The music on Various Chimeras by Shinjuku Zulu is best described as cross-genre pop electronic. It has dance and chillout songs and a host of vocalists--rappers and singers and reggae chanters and choirs and so on. It also fuses eras--there's a ragtime thing goin' on, some 1920s and '30s blues and soul, current grime, old school breaks and rap and hip hop references, some punk funk and electro, all mixed in with next millenium electronic production. There's a lot of depth to this CD, with beautiful lyrics, like: "Intimately, under a digital moon / Fractal flowers, in full bloom / Sway back and forth as one / Endlessly dreaming of the analog sun" (Massive Ballerina)and witty: "Lil' Kim is the new Maid Marian, Rastafarian the new Librarian" (Slow is the New Fast)...which you might not pick up on the first few listens. In fact, that is the album's strength--it has a few very fun and instantly lovable tracks (see Da Riddim Griffin with its electro-cabaret-cheerleader vibe, and the raggatronic We Do Supersonic) but it's the more melancholic songs that will keep you listening for months... Coal Coal Black is haunting; My Man Amen is heartbreaking; Scarborough Fair (A True Dub of Mine) is hallucinogenic, simultaneously heavy and heavenly. And each time you hear the cd you'll hear more details, like the handclaps and banjos on Dirty Liar, the work-song beat created by dj scratches on My Man Amen, the multiple references over songs to Timbuktu, etc. (A good reason to by hardcopy, for the included lyric sheet.) Best album of the last few years. Better than Gnarls Barkley, Gorrilaz, M.I.A., Imogen Heap, Zero 7, Air, Thievery Corporation and Madonna... because it combines aspects of all of them on one disc.

Music Review: