This is the third and newest release of the "Awakening" CD which includes a preview bonus track, "Blue Windows" featuring Doc Severinsen and Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields. This new addition joins all the compositio... more »ns of the original releases of the "Awakening" CD featuring The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. "Gates of Gold" which has become the most performed and most requested composition from the CD is a tribute to the Chinese immigrants of the Gold Rush days who helped to build the West. The title track, "Awakening", pays tribute to three beautiful qualities, or "fruits" of the spirit. "Adelina de Maya" is a piece for guitar and orchestra in honor of my sister, and "The Multiples of One" expresses the "oneness" of all creation.« less
This is the third and newest release of the "Awakening" CD which includes a preview bonus track, "Blue Windows" featuring Doc Severinsen and Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields. This new addition joins all the compositions of the original releases of the "Awakening" CD featuring The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. "Gates of Gold" which has become the most performed and most requested composition from the CD is a tribute to the Chinese immigrants of the Gold Rush days who helped to build the West. The title track, "Awakening", pays tribute to three beautiful qualities, or "fruits" of the spirit. "Adelina de Maya" is a piece for guitar and orchestra in honor of my sister, and "The Multiples of One" expresses the "oneness" of all creation.
"Let me first preface this review by asking Amazon to please post the new cover to this CD..which now includes a new piece called Blue Windows. Gates of Gold was the first piece from Joseph Curiale I ever heard and it touched me in ways a piece of music has never touched my soul. There are various tones throughout the tracks, ranging from the momentum of the first movement of Gates of Gold (Arrival: A View from Sea) onto the extreme sensitivity and reverence portrayed in Awakening (my personal favorite) to the fun Latin overtones in Adelina de Maya (even my 2-year old daughter has danced to this one!). Blue Windows stands apart from the others...it is different, but yet, stands well against the other pieces on the CD. Overall, I HIGHLY suggest this CD to anyone, even those who have never appreciated classical music. I have had friends and co-workers stop and ask me WHAT was that I was listening to when this CD when playing it in my home or office. This has attracted more curiosity in people than any other of the hundereds of CD's I own and play all of the time."
TRUE MUSIC
Chris | NJ | 08/21/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"There are few composers who truly write music. Sure, they go through the motions, but music is not merely "going through the motions." Music is a living, moving thing. It makes you laugh; it makes you cry. It wraps its beautiful body around your soul, and it never lets go. Music, once heard, once felt, once experianced, never leaves your spirit or your mind. When you most need it, true music gives you strength and an insatiable appetite for life.Joseph Curiale truly writes music. "awakening" is an ablum that never will be forgotten by those who welcome it into their lives. It is beautiful. It is colorful. It makes my heart beat and my eyes water. It is music. I know that the Earth is a wonderful place because music like this exists, and people listen to it. I anxiously await the release of Curiale's next album, and I will continue to treasure the music he writes."
"Awakenings" is an incredible gift to the planet!!
C.D Owens | Woodland Hills, CA United States | 03/08/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Every so often, I discover a work from a modern composer that reminds me of why I listen to music in the first place. "Awakenings" is such an album.Composer Joseph Curiale has proven to me that he is, and will continue to be, a world class artist for the new Millennium. Each composition, with the aid of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, has been sweetly and thunderously performed with great precision and care under Curiale's baton. I will be listening to this CD for years to come. And I very much look forward to his next release. I strongly recommend "Awakenings""
A great job
Ernesto Rodriguez | Albuquerque, New Mexico United States | 12/20/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Joseph Curiale has crossed all the boundaries in his moving piece, "Gates of Gold". Not only does it fill the listener with the warm feeling of what music is supposed to feel like, but it also leaves the listener humming the unforgettable tunes of "Gates", like the spectacular horn solo at the beginning of "Call of the Mountain". The music itself is made of gold, and is a work that will stay in the hearts of many for a long time. It is an extremely versitile piece that will go far amongst the everyday person, and has huge possiblities for the entertainment industry. This is truly what music is supposed to be like; it takes you and envelopes you in the warmth of the entire orchestra. The music becomes tangible; it brings tears to your eyes and joy in to your heart. To not recommend this work of art would be a transgression against the art of music. Therefore, i recommend it to all that love music and want to be reminded of what it is supposed to do to you."
Lovely music
Ernesto Rodriguez | 03/12/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the loveliest music. It's beautiful music that goes straight to your heart, and stays there. It's full and expansive, peaceful and nourishing. This is the kind of music we need more of in our current crazy lives, and I hope we'll be hearing more from Joseph Curiale in the future. I loved it!"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1