Search - Philip Pickett, Various, Not Applicable :: Alchemist

Interesting, varied, and modern treatments of early music

Andres Pedraza | 09/14/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I hope this is back in stock soon. I own the cassette, not the CD, but the tracks are the same. Pickett is a composer, conductor, and orchestrator (sp?). He's taken a wide variety of early music and early music-evoking pieces and given them--generally speaking--fuller-throated (and often faster) orchestration. (Early music, to modern ears, can sounds "thin" but not with Pickett!) I might be mistaken, but I think he uses both traditional instruments and modern ones, depending on the piece. The first and last tracks are my favorites (even if they are less-than-period interpretations). Another piece--a dancing piece that reves up beyond anything Ravel's "Bolero" can manage (but savagely, not sensually)--will be recognized by anyone who's seen the movie, "Labyrinth.""