Search - Andreas Vollenweider :: Kryptos

Another very worthwhile release from Andreas Vollenweider

Thomas M. Croft | Fort Collins, CO USA | 06/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a big fan of Andreas Vollenweider's music for about 15 years, and I own all of his albums that have been released in the U.S. except the recent "Essential" compilation. My favorites are "Book of Roses," "Eolian Minstrel," "White Winds," and "Caverna Magica."I resisted buying "Kryptos" for a long time because I had somehow acquired an inaccurate impression of it from some limited sound clips I heard on-line. Finally, on the strength of the positive reviews here, I decided to take a chance on it. I'm now very glad I did. It's just another excellent Andreas Vollenweider album (probably the most like "Book of Roses"), not a major departure from his prior work as I had erroneously believed it to be. There's probably just as much orchestration in general on "Book of Roses" as here, so I disagree with some of the criticisms others have voiced about "over orchestration." In fact, some of the strongest tracks on "Kryptos" (e.g., "Passionata" and "Quendel and Rhomas") are intimate, beautiful duets featuring Andreas on harp along with another solo instrument, similar to what he did later on "Cosmopoly."I've given this CD four stars instead of five only because I don't think it represents Andreas' strongest work compositionally. There are a few very nice melodies scattered throughout the album, but I think other albums such as "Book of Roses" are a little (but not a lot) stronger musically. Bottom line: I agree with the reviewers who said that true fans of Andreas Vollenweider (especially those who like "Book of Roses") will also enjoy "Kryptos.""