Torke (b. 1961) writes some of the more interesting minimalism being done today. His punctuated rhythms are always framed around a tonal, melodic core and are as colorful as the titles of the works. But Torke is a bit mo... more »re than a minimalist; he knows jazz inside and out and makes use of syncopation and even Modern dance rhythms as in Ecstatic Orange. The performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is quite good, but the booklet notes are obscure and of no help to anyone. Still, the music is what counts. Start here if Torke is new to you. -- Paul Cook« less
Torke (b. 1961) writes some of the more interesting minimalism being done today. His punctuated rhythms are always framed around a tonal, melodic core and are as colorful as the titles of the works. But Torke is a bit more than a minimalist; he knows jazz inside and out and makes use of syncopation and even Modern dance rhythms as in Ecstatic Orange. The performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is quite good, but the booklet notes are obscure and of no help to anyone. Still, the music is what counts. Start here if Torke is new to you. -- Paul Cook
MARTIN SELBREDE | GEORGETOWN, TX United States | 04/04/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yes, two of the five works here also appear on the Javelin album. That leaves three works uncovered: Purple, Ash, and Ecstatic Orange. So the choice to acquire this album in addition to Javelin is ultimately driven by a referendum on the merit of these three works in their own right. For my money, the acquisition of this earlier album is more than justified by the presence of Ash. What makes Ash distinctive is the clever Beethovenian conceit that Torke dishes up. The illusion of linear progress is created in individual sections, but at the macro level this sense of purpose, like water to a thirsty Tantalus, is pulled away. Form follows function, however, and Torke is putting the Beethovenian idiom to an entirely different use than the archetype did. This is assuredly not parody, but a transmutation in the service of a fresh, modern aesthetic. It's as if the IDEA of Debussy's impressionism is being realized with Beethovenesque building blocks (cobbled from the idiom farthest removed from Debussy's). On this album, the best works are Green, Ash, and Bright Blue music, in that order. Ecstatic Orange stands out as the dissonant member of the set, while Purple comes off as an effective interlude (a breather, as it were) bridging the effervescent Green to Ecstatic Orange. While some have inferred associative relationships between music and color on Torke's part, I don't think we should lump him in with Scriabin on this account. I've written a series of compositions named after Los Angeles area freeways, but there is no deeper meaning to be sought in that circumstance.With the recent release of "Jasper" on Naxos, it's no longer true that all the orchestral Color Music of Torke's can be found on this one album. But the best selection of it is surely to be found on this CD..."
Interesting minimalism, if there is such a thing
chefdevergue | Spokane, WA United States | 10/06/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
""You know, I'm no art critic, but I know what I hate. And I don't hate this." --- C. Montgomery Burns, from "Brush With Greatness."That about sums it up. As minimalism goes, this pieces are some of the more engaging examples of the genre. It still contains the repetitive rhythms & chord progressions, so beloved by the devotees of minimalism, spun out in innumerable variations for several minutes. But the music remains strangely engaging despite its minimalist qualities. I found that the energy in "Green," "Ecstatic Orange," and "Bright Blue Music" overcomes the repetitive qualities, and is enough to keep all but the most fervent haters of minimalism interested. I cannot say the same for "Ash," with its classically-inspired chord progressions, which became really irritating to listen to after just a few minutes. It would figure that "Ash" is the longest piece on this album.3 1/2 stars --- catalogue it under "Minimalist music that isn't totally annoying.""
New Music for Steven Bochko to love
jive rhapsodist | NYC, NY United States | 11/26/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"What would Michael Torke do if he ever lost his score for Stravinsky's Symphony In C ? He wouldn't have anything to spice up the Bernstein-ism's with ! But the little Mike Post cadences would still save the day... Eat your spinach, dear ! I say it's Academic Minimalism, and I say the Hell with it! It just proves again, if proof were really needed, that any Avant Garde movement carries the seeds of its own decadence within itself from its inception. Those who find this "listenable Minimalism" should be locked in a room with a recording of The Well Tuned Piano on eternal repeat. Philosophical question: does repeating some cleverly orchestrated trifle in a flaccid loop make that trifle "minimalist" ?"
Beyond minimalism
D. Battaglia | Paris, France | 04/20/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is music that you can listen without being annoyed. This is genuinely beautiful music, with a great orchestration, with moving masses of sounds that move in parallel with the complex rhytms like brush strokes of an inspired painter.
This is simple, but not naive, since the structural complexity is extreme, despite the appearance (and this is another achievement). Torke is one of the most personal voices of new postminimalist music. And this is Torke at its best! Definitely a must for anybody interested in modern music..."
Track Listings (5) - Disc #1
