Joplin Zimmerman - His Complete Works (66 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Great set

stclaw03 | Houston, Texas United States | 10/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I guess this will be a rather one sided review. I have been a fan of Scott Joplin since I first learned to play a piano.I was shocked to see that one reviewer thought it all sounded the same. How silly. All of Frank Sinatra's music sounds like Frank Sinatra. All of Led Zeppelin sounds like Led Zeppelin. So, if the songs were drastically different, I would question if the same author composed them. As it is, though, each song on this set is fantastic!! I don't know that I have heard of Richard Zimmerman, and I was a little leary as to what I would be getting, I certainly was impressed. Without a doubt the best renditions of "Weeping Willow" and "Bethena" I have heard, and at least a dozen songs I didn't know Joplin wrote. Without a doubt, this album is fantastic. A very good price, as well."

Zimmerman with a classic here!

Michael Frain | Charleston, IL (USA) | 03/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am a fan of Scott Joplin. Having played many of his works in concert around the region, I can say that some interpretations of Joplin are better than others. Richard Zimmerman has fun with the pieces he selects here. While I do not agree with some of the tempos he selected for various pieces, the mood of his interpretations is that of a dancing, swinging feel that is hard to convey in such a genre. Zimmerman does it with ease and makes it sound like he is having real fun while playing the piano. Not too heavy an interpretation, the light, flowing opening sections and the deeper, thicker (dare I say virtuosic?) sections contrast very well, providing the listener with a glimpse of how Scott Joplin might have played these rags himself. If you listen to original piano rolls with Joplin's own playing, you will hear that he himself improvises slightly over his own music. It is difficult to play ragtime effectively and Zimmerman overcomes this difficulty with many excellent performances on these five CDs.I would have given this CD set five stars - however, some of the interpretations are lacking slightly in tempo. It's more a personal preference than anything and if I could have, this set would have received 4.5 stars. I can't, sadly, go through and give it five. But I still highly recommend this purchase to fans of classical and jazz music. Enjoy!"

A suggestion for listening

Gary Yu | Seoul, Korea (South) | 12/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"May I offer a suggestion to those who feel that the music is trite and all the same? Do not listen to this collection or any other collection (e.g. John Arpin's or Joshua Rifkin's) of ragtime in the order the pieces are recorded on the CDs, especially if you're not very familiar with ragtime. The pieces are often given chronologically or in alphabetical order. Also, don't listen to too many pieces all at once. Pick two, three, or at most four to become acquainted with first. This way you'll be able to appreciate the individual characteristics of the pieces. Try these four pieces first:

1. Gladiolus Rag

2. Weeping Willow

3. Solace

4. Magnetic Rag

Later you'll discover other gems on your own. When you're first getting to know ragtime, it's probably best to avoid listening to pieces that have been done to death (and often done poorly or played way too fast), like "The Entertainer" or "Maple Leaf Rag.""

A classic compilation

Barthel | St. Louis, MO USA | 10/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection is one of my most treasured possessions. (My father gave me the original 5-album set in the 70's when it was originally released on vinyl.)

This is the definitive collection of Scott Joplin's work. Richard Zimmerman provides wonderful performances that accurately reflect Joplin's intentions. (As evidence beyond my personal opinion, I submit the recent releases of digital recordings made from Joplin's piano rolls.)

A few points to consider regarding negative comments you may encounter in other reviews:

* This is a digital recording from an analog master. Lack of quality in the recording does not imply a lackluster performance.

* This is a complete collection. Some similarity is due to Joplin re-exploring melodic themes. But some is due to the fact that these are "rags". One might as well complain that all 50's doo-wop (or all 70's disco) sounds the same.

* Many pieces of the period exhibit formal musical structures, such as the marches of John Phillips Sousa. (Both Sousa and Joplin performed at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.) Actually, Joplin is responsible for extending the formal boundaries of ragtime to concert waltzes (Bethena) and opera (A Guest of Honor, Treemonisha)

* This is probably one of the few collections which will include selections from "Treemonisha". It is my understanding that after the initial release, one of Joplin's descendants made a copyright claim that was upheld in court. (I presume the issue was that Joplin had to finance "Treemonisha" himself, and therefore the customary performance clearances did not cover those selections.)

For ragtime students and enthusiasts, this is a "must-have" collection at a very affordable price."

Unique

Charles J. Salvi | 10/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have several cd sets of Joplin's music: Rifkin, Arpo, Nielsen, and Zimmerman. All have their excellent qualities. What sets Zimmerman's set apart is the inclusion of excerpts from Joplin's opera, Treemonisha---especially "A Real Slow Drag." Why the other sets do not include excerpts from Treemonisha, I don't know---because they are some of his most beautiful and joyful pieces of music. Of course, you can hear the orchestrated version of Treemonisha in the Houston Grand Opera recording, and it is spectacular. But Zimmerman's piano version, especially of "A Real Slow Drag," is not to be missed.

"

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