Audio Noir

Audio Noir

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Octavius has strived to perfect his stunning amalgam of hip-hop, electronic and avant-rock music in the San Francisco underground over the past four years. This dedication has culminated in his Mush full-length release Audio Noir. 2003.

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It starts, appropriately enough, with Charles Ives's The Unanswered Question, which seems to hold its breath, and occasionally exhale in brief bursts of panic, as the new century unfolds. It ends with Dmitri Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony Op. 110a (based on his String Quartet No. 8), whose alternating sequences of anguish, alarm, and derision come as close as possible for absolute music to indicting its bloody history--eight CDs and over 30 works later.

Rückblick Moderne: 20th Century Orchestral Music represents as fine a look back at musical modernism as you're likely to get. And in what a lavish package! A tall box holding two multi-CD jewel boxes and a beautifully printed booklet with photographs of modern and postmodern architecture and extensive liner notes (in German). Even the CDs themselves look handsome. All the more amazing when you realize that the entire set was digitally recorded live--with coughs, turning pages, chair creaks, and vivid sound--during one week in 1998 in Stuttgart (where, it seems, you have to travel nowadays even to hear about this kind of music), by such groups as the RSO Saarbrücken and the Bamberger Symphoniker, led by Dennis Russell Davies, Michael Gielen, Heinz Holliger, and other risk takers. Each CD has been programmed around a theme; for example, "Explosion/Implosion" (featuring Varèse and Mahler's tone poem Totenfeier, later becoming the first movement of his Second Symphony) and "Minimal Postludien," which includes (heads up, completists) Philip Glass's Echorus for two solo violins and string orchestra and Ligeti's Ramifications. Stravinsky, who, like Schoenberg and Cage, appears to cast a long shadow over this imposing collection, remains one of the highlights: a sharp, fiercely erotic performance of Le Sacre by Lothar Zagrosek and the Stattsorchester Stuttgart that helps remind us how much modern music has done, in the face of controversy and disaster, to ground us in our humanity. --Robert Burns Neveldine

Customer Reviews:

BUT WHY?.......2002-05-15

At eight cds, this could have been a hefty set of 20th century orchestral music. But somewhere along the line, around the beginning of planning the festival I'm guessing, something went horribly wrong. There were eight concerts, each with a theme. The pieces chosen have often only a tenuous connection with the theme, if any. There are no women composers. There are no composers from Romania. There are no composers from the Czech Republic. There are no composers from Poland. That means no Gubuidulina, no Ana-Marie Avram, no Joan Tower. That means no Dumitrescu or Janacek or Lutoslawski. Can you believe it? A collection of twentieth century orchestral music with no Lutoslawski? Verily it boggleth the mind.

But so what? Are the pieces they did play well played? Well, sometimes. Gielen and Zender get predictably excellent results. But much of the rest sounds for all the world like first reads. Extremely sensitive and polished first reads to be sure, but no sense of piece qua piece, a thing with a shape from start to finish. (This is most apparent in the eccentric phrasing.) These are not the newer pieces, either, but Ives and Ravel and Bartok and Stravinsky. You know these people have played these pieces dozens of times. No excuse.

It's hard to fault a company (Col legno) that puts out so many fine performances of the likes of Helmut Lachenmann, but in this venture I really think they dropped the ball.

Great Recordings.......2000-12-30

I wish I could read in German! This is the only "flaw" of this edition, in my opinion: it seems to have a great booklet, but I can't read it. Otherwise, it is a great collection: excelent recordings, good choice of works. I find it an excelent intro to modern music.

A must for lovers of modern music.......2000-06-26

This 8 CD collection contains a wonderfully diverse selection of works that trace the development of music through the century. This set contains music form the pivotal artists from the beginning of the century; Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, Stravinsky, Debussy, Bartok, Ives and Varese. Master from later in the century include; Messiaen, Carter, Boulez, Cage, Feldman, Kurtag, Schnittke, Glass, and Ligeti. From the late romanticism of Mahler, to the impressionism of Ravel and Debussy, the atonality of the Second Viennese, the neo-styles of Stravinsky, Kurtag, Schostakovich, and Schnittke, to the minimalism of Glass, this collection has it all. Also within this collection are some classic compositions by lesser known masters such as; Maderna, Nono, Kagel. Rihm, Zimmerman, Furrer, and Lachenmann to name a few. Dennis Russell Davies, Michael Gielen, Heinze Holliger, and Hans Zender conduct superb performances of most of these classics. There is much to cherich in this collection, and are many treasures to be discovered.

Average customer rating:

Audio Noir
Octavius
Manufacturer: Mush
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000C3I75
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

Monochrome
Surprisingly Concerned With One Another
Cellophane
Vacant/Panic
Momentum/Parisian War Song
Speed Limit
Sudden and Increasingly Strange Behavior
Artificial Sparks of the Electrical Stripping
Before You Go Away

Average customer rating:

film noir
Dark Times for Hip-Hop (4.5/5)

Audio Noir
Octavius
Manufacturer: Mush
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000C3I73
Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

Monochrome
Suprisingly Concerned With One Another
Cellophane
Vacant/Panic
Momentum/Parisian War Song
Speed Limit
Sudden And Increasingly Strange Behavior
Artificial Sparks Of The Electrical Stripping
Before You Go Away

Album Description

Octavius has strived to perfect his stunning amalgam of hip-hop, electronic and avant-rock music in the San Francisco underground over the past four years. This dedication has culminated in his Mush full-length release Audio Noir. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

film noir.......2004-11-25

Film noir is "a type of gangster thriller, made especially, in the 1940's in Hollywood, characterised by stark ligthing, an involved plot, and an atmosphere of cynicism and corruption". This is a pretty adequate description of this album. There are some extrodinarly dark moments on this album which made me feel uncomfortable, nervous and cyncial. Sonically this album is a gem. The landscapes William Marshall creates are packed with sonic edges where the beats buried deep. It's cinematic in scope and reflecting on it now the references to David Lynch films are rather appropriate...especially 'Monochrome'. That said I think there's a definite mood to be in when checking this one out. For me the only downside was the lyrics. When he's yapping on about the speed limit in Germany I just couldn't see the point and after a few minutes it was rather annoying. I have to agree with the previous reviewer, this album is at the other end of the hip hop spectrum. If you like cLOUDDEAD then this has a similar beatscape but it's a little more menacing.

Dark Times for Hip-Hop (4.5/5).......2004-05-13

I seriously can't believe how many great albums Mush Records is releasing to the public. If their mission is to become one of the premier underground hip-hop labels, I think they may have succeeded. They certainly garnered the attention of many hip-hop fans several years ago when they released the mind-boggling cLOUDDEAD album to a bunch of jaded hipsters. cLOUDDEAD was a record that "re-endtroduced" a lot of listeners to a sound that had truly not been explored prior to its release. Since then, there has been an even larger push for hip-hop artists/producers to (once again) take the art of sampling to a completely different level. Since it has been reported that the turntable now outsells the guitar, it's not hard to see why it's the genre of music that seems to be flourishing more than any other.

William Marshall, or Octavius as he prefers, is someone I have much respect for. He's a man that not only understands the aesthetics of beats, but he also is quite capable of incorporating the endless amounts of sound that can tie together with a good beat. His latest album Audio Noir is one of the more enjoyable listens I've had in several months. Although I was a bit apprehensive about reviewing another hip-hop album, I must tell you that this is almost at the other end of the spectrum from hip-hop. That sure made it easy for someone who feels like he writes the same thing about every other hip-hop album. With Audio Noir, there are subtle touches of beats intermittently placed throughout several of the tracks, but not enough to even remind you of a traditional hip-hop album. Proof again of how innovative it truly is.

The first track, "Monochrome," slowly creeps in with its heavy homage to the song "Mountains Falling" on the Mulholland Drive movie soundtrack composed by Angelo Badalamenti. It's then coupled with a wash of flange-heavy guitars that makes me wish the Cocteau Twins were still in their prime. I could actually write an entire review about this one particular song. The album stays strong and continues deeper into the cerebral darkness of hip-hop with tracks like "Cellophane," "Vacant/Panic" and "Momentum/Parisian War Song."

Imagine what Tricky would sound like if he'd had the career we all hoped he'd have. Unfortunately, he still wouldn't be this good. The album ends with one of the most beautiful samples I've ever heard used in a hip-hop album. "Before You Go Away," the final track, is a song with a mesmerizing guitar riff that is gently laid behind some inaudible vocals that eventually fade out into a distant land of happiness. I usually have to listen to this one twice before letting the album go.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful set.......2004-10-24

This set is for serious piano fans, not for the ones who just start building up a CD library. I sort of agree with one of the reviewers, that there are many repetitions. But if you love piano, you wish to hear the same piece in different interpretations. Indeed, I really like this feature of this set: I can compare the style of various performers.
If you are into piano music, I encourage you to grab this set, if you can find it used (not available anymore at Amazon). I also hope, that there will be a continuation, in which other great pianists, who were left out because of the space limitation, will be included (Prokofiev, Bartok, Dohnanyi, etc).

Don't buy the whole thing.......2001-07-08

I've put a lot of thought into constructing my own piano library, and unless you can easily afford the present set, I would recommend a different approach to collecting piano music. This set emphasizes the piano player rather than the piano composer. Of course both are important. For example, the "Barcarolle" appears in this set EIGHT times. I'm sorry, although I love the piece, if I am going to spend [the money], I would prefer more variety. Where are the Alkan, Medtner, and Szymanawski compositions represented in this set? I appreciate having so many interpretations of the same pieces, but I would also appreciate more exposure to pieces not so popular. The selection by Philips which I consider a somewhat popular selection suggests to me that when Philips constructed this set, they realized most people would be buying the disks separately, and this affected the selection. And it's not just that obscure composers are left out, but also if one spends so much money on piano recordings, you'd think you'd want to buy pieces from a composer in completeness. For example, an alternative way to construct a library would be to combine purchases of complete cycles, e.g. complete Beethoven sonatas, complete Scriabin preludes, etc., along with outstanding recordings of more particular pieces. I'm not sure why someone would want to concentrate so much on so many famous artists, instead of acquiring complete sets of compositions. For me the composer is more important, or at least, if I am going to spend [the money]on piano recordings, I'd prefer more complete, rather than snapshot, exposure to the composers.

Not Insane.......2001-01-02

I had to write this review, as I am enthralled with this set. I have been going through it in order having already purchased a few individual units from the collection earlier. I am not sure what `insane' was talking about as there is NO repetition. Sure some pianists perform the same pieces, isn't that what they did in reality? The idea is to appreciate the different nuances and approaches taken by these artists. You will then enjoy these pieces from a better vantage.

It is a large ambitious contribution to the art of great piano playing. It is a labor of love and represents a tremendous amount of research and cooperation between many record companies. Rather then representing insanity, it is a resource to treasure.

Yes experts can quibble over who was left out, and what performances were inserted. I do not think such a massive undertaking could have been accomplished without someone being able to find faults. Overall however, unless you already have a monumental collection, (it would have to be almost legendary), this incredible set will give you a rewarding look into 74 of the greatest pianist of all time. You will come away with a honed sense of appreciation for your likes and dislikes. You will undoubtedly become someone who will search out recordings and be able to enjoy them for the rest of your life with a refined ear.

The only negative is this price. I would shop around, as it is daunting to spend 2 thousand dollars on such a collection. Of course you do get 200 CD's. However, the used collections might be good to consider.

Enjoy these masterpieces. I am not ashamed of owning this music as `insane' implies. I am proud to have enriched my life.

insane.......2000-10-12

This is not a good library of piano music. The reason is, there is too much repetition. I'm not saying the series is bad. The series is wonderful. But this collection as a whole is a bad libary. For the same money you could collect together (with more effort) an incredible libary of piano music. There are so many wonderful cd's out there, this is just a waste of money. If you can actually afford to spend 2 grand on piano music, then either (1) spend the time and do some research to get a good library of piano music, which will probably include some selections from this collection, or (2) hire someone to do that for you. Personally I would be embarrassed to own this whole collection, since that shows I have put little thought into my purchases of piano music.

For the real music lover.......2000-03-12

This series attempts to present important and representative performances by most of the major pianists of the 20th century. One might quibble a bit with the choices, but the works presented are of consistently high quality, and often do represent what may be the best works of a performer. Since this covers most of the time that recorded music existed, some of the recordings are technically challenged, as there is only so much one can do to enhance an old recording. Still, these appear to have been treated with love and respect in their restorations. Since this series is so large (and expensive!) one is tempted to "cherry pick" through the series, yet by doing so one can easily overlook gems by artists one is less familiar with. This large a set must inevitably have many versions of the same pieces, and takes many hours to listen to. The true enthusiast will appreciate the differences in interpretation, whereas the less experienced listener may find the set repetitive and overwhelming. If one has the time to really dig into this set, it can provide years of exploration and discovery. It would make a wonderful gift for some special music lover in your life ... or for yourself!

Olivier Messiaen (Collected Works & an Interview with Claude Samuel)

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Olivier Messiaen (Collected Works & an Interview with Claude Samuel)
Olivier Messiaen , Pierre Boulez , Marius Constant , Yvonne Loriod , Georges Barboteu , Alain Jacquet , Katia Labeque , Marielle Labeque , Michel Garcin , Guy Deplus , Huguette Fernandez , Jacques Neilz , Marie-Madeleine Petit , Solistes des Choeurs & Orchestre Philharmonique de L'O.R.T.F. , Rachel Yakar , Maria Oran , Marie-Claire Alain , and Groupe Instrumental a Percussion de Strasbourg/Ensemble ARS NOVA
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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