Search - John [Film Composer] Williams, Tomita, Arthur Honegger :: Kosmos

One Of His Best

James Schulze | 06/07/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If one can get past the laughably bad Star Wars opening track, this album is a stunner. Though lacking the fluid continuity of his previous efforts, Tomita manages to select darker, more beautiful, and more moody pieces than before, creating an incredible dream-like atmosphere without resorting to the usual space-ship and "alien" sounds that tarnished The Planets and The Bermuda Triangle. His sound became larger, more ambient, and denser. The final Bach medley "The Sea Named Solaris" is Tomita's finest hour, and this album is a must for any fan or Tomita's work, or of electronic music. A flawed but still great work."

Electronic instruments, very good selections,

James Schulze | 05/29/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have this album in vinyl, should be better without background hiss. Star Wars theme is quite interesting, lovers of "the force" should be impressed. Worth every dime."

Tomita -- a standard in electronica

Dannan Tavona | Salem, OR USA | 08/12/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Through all the albums I've heard by Isao Tomita, he infuses the original composition often with a distinctive style, often very traditionally Japanese in the way the musical phrase is rendered. The Star Wars piece is fun, almost deliberately silly. Included is "The Sea Named Solaris" - which was inspired by the Tarkovsky film, which in turn was based on the Stanislaw Lem story. And anyone who's seen a circus will recognize "Hora Staccatto" and see how he's rendered the tune in his own style. The other tracks are by turns grand, thoughtful, pensive, and reworked into something new. Tomita's version of Rodrigo's "Aranjuez" has a haunting quality and has been a favorite of mine for many years. Arguably, Tomita's version of Holst's "The Planets" is a superior album, and I've come to prefer it to the classical renditions of the suite. Nonetheless, KOSMOS is a great mix of different composers for a solid exposure to Tomita's music, and even decades after its initial release, continues to hold up well. Like another pioneer, Wendy Carlos (she's a real genius!), most of Tomita's early albums were renditions of classical music in the electronica style. If you like this one, I'd also recommend Tomita's version of "The Planets" and "The Bermuda Triangle" -- the later which includes some of Tomita's own pieces."