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Welcome to the artissimo.gr pages of Guest Artists ! 
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English Language : Classical Music : Guest Artists Paul Schwartz : Album "Aria 3 : Metamorphosis" : Review |
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IN GENERAL The "Aria" albums are perhaps the best reason Paul Schwartz is well-known worldwide. Well, what is Aria ? In short words, the Aria series can be described as a successful marriage of classical music elements and modern electronic pop(ular) orchestration mediums. The first "Aria" album was first launched in 1997. Besides, the album "Aria 2 : New Horizon" was released in 1999. Both of them seem to have stung the audience interest. In this review we will have a good look at Aria 3 which is the third part of the whole series. This album was released in September of 2004 and is a logical continuation of the previous material. For Aria 3, the source of composer's inspiration has been the Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses" - that's why some of Aria 3 parts have the names of characters taken from this poem (Arachne, Danae and Cyane). Now, let's have a look at the album under discussion ... 
WORK TECHNIQUE Most if not all of the music phrases that are underlined by the album's vocal lines, are taken by the preclassical composers like Handel and Monteverdi. These melodies are not subject to any exhaustive process : they are used with a minimum of modifications. Their presentation is not vastly different from one based on classical music principles. They are being sung by either solo voice or chorus and are usually supported by classical string timbres, solo or in ensemble. The harmonic details of all music parts are rather simple (attention : by 20th century classical music standards I mean!) and compliant with both music of preclassical age and electronic pop music. The flow of music phrases is also something characterized by high level of composition technique. Other orchestral sounds are sometimes used, but, usually strings are the ones playing the major role. Of course, if Schwartz decides that is worth the effort, which is the case in several - but not all - pieces, he adapts the classical lines and the music foreground in general to the electronic rhythm and the elements of electronic contemporary orchestration, synthesizer sounds and the like. This is done in a rather careful and maybe conservative way, with the sole exceptions being inserted there for the sake of surprise or even for the accent of certain passages. In other words, you will not be listening to electronic music "dressed" with Handel melodies, but, rather in a kind of electronic opera where real human vocals with almost real orchestral support are usually underlined by electronic sounds - including drums. I consider the whole attempt as a try to write classical music through a more modern view of orchestration. I should bring to your memory the fact that Paul Schwartz has a proper classical music education and no one would ever expect from him to write music that is unbalanced or does not respect the brilliancy of classical music composers just for commercial reasons only. Anyway, don't worry about all those details ! The result is very-very good indeed ! Welcome to the world of "electronic aria" ! WORK CHARACTER The existence of "cold-blooded" electronic mediums and sounds don't affect at all the feeling that music is able to produce : Paul Schwartz's pieces are full of intense passion, dark tragedy, colourful happiness, quiet melancholy, bright hopes ... The music is leading to a world of dreams that are coming true : chorus is singing along with the soprano and the orchestra is giving the rest of grandiosity, with the electronic music elements giving their own share of modern taste and another feeling of music experience. The expressiveness of the human voices is just great and the rest of the orchestration is well-placed and "respects" the genre used as source of the music material. It's very good for a listener to feel that the composer is touching the whole music tradition with a sense of total respect and does not just woodenly borrow various elements in order to cover up his own omissions. It is not a coincidence that the mechanism of use for the electronic instruments in this album is almost the same with the one that a classical composer would use for his own classical orchestra : this is called technology in the service of art, and Paul Schwartz has used technology in the most suitable way : the musicality of his pieces is taken for granted. It's a matter of taste whether one prefers to listen to the electronic sounds along with the pure classical ones or not. Personally speaking, this album is yet another quite successful musical experiment ! 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PARTS 1. Ombra Mai Fu - Rich, warm, positive string chords are resolving to an orchestral pandaisia where the voice is suggesting and the orchestra is accompanying in a full sonic sense. A beautiful melody by Handel. Drums are giving a more dancing feeling. Music is flowing naturally like the water, pleasing all difficult ears. A horn is murmuring, and, then, the voice is going on till the quiet end with the bright company of the strings. Just beautiful. 2. Furioso - Another fantastic melody by Handel playing the role of the source. The melody is very dark but also gorgeous - the strings are psalming - and all this situation quickly leads to a beat of pure electronic music where the melody is sung by the chorus. Everything is beautiful and mysterious at the same time ! The electronic timbre surely gives another sense of (well-written) music. Chorus is going another way and another way as music progresses. Handel does not lose his greatness for a second ! There is also a sense of climax going on here. The final tutti singing Handel's melody cannot actually be described using any written words ! The chorus is shining ; then, a quiet reliefing end ... What a fantastic piece ! 3. Sogno - A short introduction and then electronic devices are quickly coming ! A very nice atmosphere with light, beautiful contemporary orchestration. Human melody is more simple and straight this time and is also shining along with its electronic fellows. Another sense of music is going on here. A perfect match ! A dream comes true ! Schwartz seems to be aware of the art of keeping music interesting all the time - not always easy ! - keeping our ears pleased and in very good mood ! 4. Metamorphosis 2: Danae - Sensation created straight from Ovid's corresponding poem. Piano mysterioso along with solo string are coming in. A nice duet which is being enriched by the whole orchestra ... Then, piece becomes more modern with the drums giving the pattern. Strings are playing a melody both dark and hopeful at the same time. The whole thing dies into a quiet reminiscence of the original duet ... 5. Ballo - A quick introduction leads to a steady electro-atmosphere where the voice proudly comes in. Pizzicato effect is giving another sense. I think Paul Schwartz's electronic orchestrations are among the most balanced I have ever heard ! Let's return to the piece under description : strings are also accenting the voice's passion with a remarkable passage. In short words, this is a very pleasing piece for one to listen. 6. Orchestre Engloutie - A dark cloud of strings coming from nowhere and growing till ... (a very short interlude) 7. Amami - A new electro-scene is rising and sounds most characteristic (pop music like), the voice is coming and sings a very beautiful phrase indeed ! Here we can recognize the atmosphere of a pop song along with a human voice which reminds us of classical music vocals. But, anyway, later on, classical orchestra timbres are presenting themselves supporting the strong vocal come-back which is giving a really good show ! Now, the orchestration is very rich and ear-pleasing. The piece ends in the original character. 8. Lascia - Another melody by old, good Handel. Strings are welcoming us along with nice well-placed electro-effects. Solo voice and chorus are underlining a beautiful classical melody which is most characteristic. Then, strings are complaining, but, later on, they are leading to an especially bright return of the human voices ! Very-very beautiful ! To conclude, a quiet end for a good piece. 9. Farewell - A percussion sound welcomes, a solo violin is carrying on, a horn is continuing, the human song then begins ... the melody is not quite effortless but is shining for sure ! The overall orchestration tries for new impressions. Anyway, as usual, strings are playing the major role in the course of music. Then, a women's duet comes in giving a fresh restart. The end is long, recapitulating and quite strong. Melodies that stick directly into the mind are present here. 10. Metamorphosis 3: Cyane - Strings are crying again, this time for a good reason ! Beautiful, dark music can be listened to all over the place. A sad atmosphere which turns into a rhythmical scene of the same feeling. Music that is insisting and wants us to listen very carefully by shouting it at us ! A bit melancholic, but, everything is in life ! 11. Ascension - This one is written by Monteverdi. Introduction by strings, electronic sound and rhythm soon coming in, the voices are shining again in an unexpected duet. Warmth and natural flow are describing this piece of music in a perfect manner. In the passage, a lot of orchestral sounds are creating a rich sonic landscape with the string playing the major role as usual. The duet is quite impressing and the overall sense is calming and able to create a magic feeling. Really beautiful sense of music ! 12. Metamorphosis 1: Arachne - Another one referring to the poem of Ovid. Piano silently presents itself, remarks in a quiet and gentle way, attracting us to a voyage in the world of miracles and mystery ... For Arachne's sake, the piano is playing a theme that is balancing between relaxation and intensity ! ... The story of Arachne ... A mysterious but at the same time sweet piece ! BONUS TRACKS: 13. Furioso (instrumental mix) - The same strong melody of Handel, this time sung not by real human voices, but by beautiful electronic voices including chorus timbres. The orchestration is generally giving the same great sense as in the original piece of Paul Schwartz, perhaps a little more electronic as well. This variation could be considered as a more "modern" version compared to that of track no 2. Perhaps its purpose is the use in dance clubs and the like. 14. Ombra Mai Fu (chilled mix) - Based on instruments only and featuring nice guitar-solo parts, this mix has a genuine instrumental character and the flow of music is different than in the original track. I guess it's mainly a matter of taste. FINAL IMPRESSION Aria 3 : Metamorphosis is an album that presents a high level of music and an even higher level of a possibility to create lively impressions and form pictures of human passions. Featuring a wonderful palette of preclassical melodies "dressed" with skillful classical and contemporary orchestration methods, it will be able to keep you interested in its world for a long time. Aria 3 is an album that is totally worth trying ! Be sure about this ! |
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