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Real
Music have always been synonymous with high-quality,
relaxing New-Age style music, and this CD is certainly
no exception.
It
brings together a collection of fifteen piano pieces
from the label's roster, including an impressive five
previously unreleased tracks. High profile names such as
Kevin Kern, Danny Wright and Michael Hoppé appear on the
CD. Some of the artists are still with the label over a
decade later (most noticeably Kevin Kern), whilst others
have gone their own separate way. The label seems to
have had a slight shift in focus in recent years, with a
nod towards "Relaxation Music"- aimed at Spas and other
such places.
Happily, the focus on this CD is on beautiful piano
music.
The first track is a delightful number by
popular pianist Danny Wright. "Time Windows" is
a joy to listen to and is a lovely way to open
the CD. Wright plays with great delicacy, and it
is no wonder that he has enjoyed such success.
Twilight's Embrace is another impressive
offering from Kevin Kern, whose career seems to
be going from strength to strength, especially
in Asia! Bernward Koch provides the listener
with the pleasant "Wonderful Glider". Koch has
gone on to produce a superb album for Real
Music, "Walking Through Clouds" (2005) and is
well worth checking out. The German pianist has
a style all of his own. He makes quite a lot of
use of synthesisers, but these enhance their
appeal rather than detracting from them. Paul
Machlis's "Buchanan Mist" is very beautiful,
with a very catchy melody. It brings a Celtic
flavour to the CD- and the track is a very
lovely piece. Perhaps my favourite cut on the
CD, is the fifth track, "Gone". A simple title,
but a wonderful track by Jim Chappell. I never
tire of this one.
There are also contributions from
2002, Brian BecVar, Peter Kater and
Michael Hoppé on the CD. Other
highlights of the CD include Kern's
"Sundial Dreams", Hoppé's "The
Unforgetting Heart" and another Paul
Machlis contribution: "Night Blossom".
At over 67 minutes in length, the CD
offers wonderful value for money. Also
recommended are two further Real Music
Compilations (not all piano): Touching
Beauty and Infinity, each of which
offers several delightful pieces- some
piano.
This is an excellent CD and is a
great way of introducing the listener to
potentially new pianists, from which
they can select the most appealing
styles and invest in the relevant
musicians' CDs.
Very highly recommended!
S.C.
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