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‘New World
Music’ have long been synonymous with relaxing
music, but on this occasion they have excelled
themselves.
‘Pure Piano’ is
an album of seventeen beautiful piano compositions,
totalling over fifty minutes of bliss. I assumed
this was a compilation album, but upon closer
inspection of the linear notes, Brian King is
identified as the talented composer of the entire
album.
So, just who is
Brian King? Well, the honest answer is I have
absolutely no idea. I wrongly assumed it was an
Australian pianist who seemed to fit the
description, but not so!! The writer and performer
of all the pieces is only mentioned on the back of
the insert. I would love to know more about this
gifted pianist; perhaps he would like to get in
touch. I can only assume he is an ‘in-house’ artist
who possibly performs on a range of the company's
material.
The contents of this CD are sublime and
definitely fall into the New Age / Contemporary
Instrumental genre.
‘Pure Piano’
opens with ‘Magical Landscapes’- a joyous, melodic
piece which gets the CD off to a great start.
‘Synchronicity’ follows and, after a slow start,
further develops the feel-good theme. ‘Nocturne’, a
short-piece, continues the mood, with some quieter
moments.
I love the
fourth track, ‘A Memory’- a more melodic, majestic
piece you would be hard-pressed to find. You can
listen to a sample of this by clicking the play
button to the right.
‘Beyond the
Clouds’ has a Ludovico Einaudi feel about it in
parts, and is as graceful and delicate as the title
would suggest. ‘A Place in Time’ is the longest
track on the CD at a shade over four minutes, and
combines quieter moments with more dramatic parts.
‘Gothic Dream’ is another short piece, and I am very
curious about the background of this track's title.
On the back cover, the notes state this is a "very
personal collection of original compositions [in
which] Brian demonstrates a wonderful ability to
enable you to share his journey of discovery".
Perhaps Brian can enlighten us, but there is no
doubt that this is yet another lovely piece. It has
an almost lullaby-like opening, before the dynamics
increase. ‘River Runs Deep’ reminds me of Silvard's
style of music. As I listen, I hear the gentle rain
falling, but this is no storm. The water is
shimmering, glistening like a thousand jewels.
The album's
ninth track, ‘Reflections’ is another appealing,
melodic piece, something that continues with ‘Folk
Song’. Another favourite is ‘Romanza’, a composition
in which Brian demonstrates a particularly beautiful
touch on his grand piano. In ‘The Forest’, after a
quiet start, is this the time that the animals come
out to play? ‘Many Lives’ is a thoughtful meander,
while ‘Druid' has a majestic opening, before the
piece quickly changes with an increasing tempo. Once
again, it slows down and quietens down to a graceful
end. Track fifteen, ‘Shades of Blue’ shimmers with
beauty, while ‘The Homeland’ impresses in equal
measure. I absolutely adore ‘Lullaby’, which
perfectly lives up to its name. The melody is simply
delightful! The album closes with ‘Ancients’ in
which yet again Brian Kelly excels himself.
The striking
feature of this CD is its remarkably high level of
consistency. There is not a single weak track on the
entire CD, with each piece relaxing and entertaining
in equal measure. This music is simply too good to
have playing away in the background.
It deserves the listener's attention as it plays in
an utterly inoffensive way. I look forward very much to
‘Pure Piano Volume Two’!
Overall, this
is a superb CD with seventeen highly melodic pieces
of solo piano. It comes to you very highly
recommended.
S.C. |
