Search - Various Artists;Dan Gibson :: Solitudes 25 Anniversary Collection 1 CD & 1 DVD

Good tunes, mediocre DVD

Francis King | Calgary, AB, Canada | 04/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Started in 1981 by Canadian nature cinematographer/sound recordist Dan Gibson, Solitudes has long been the standard by which all nature sound and/or nature/music CDs have been judged. And no wonder. Through an unbelievable 180 recordings (what's that, 7 discs annually?) the label has touched on just about every nature and music combination, all with impeccable recording standards.



This package marks Solitudes silver anniversary, and generally it does a decent job. Disc one is all music. Smartly, the powers that be (Dan's sons Gordon and Dan Jr., it appears) picked a track from each of the label's main composers, including Hennie Bekker (who's done 14 albums), Michael Maxwell (12 albums), John Herberman (topping the list at 16) and more. That let the Gibsons write a short essay about the work of each composer and how well it fit into the Solitudes canon. it also means a mix of everything from the crooner standard Moon River to what the Gibsons call the "ingenous instruments and trippy rhythms" of India, by Steve Wingfield.



So where's the weakness? It's the second disc, a DVD allowing viewers to watch (mostly) gentle, reflective nature scenes teamed up with music and/or nature sounds. You can pick whether you want both or just nature sounds. Trouble is, it appears the Gibsons went cheap on this. Most of the DVD appears to have been shot at Ontario's legendary Algonquin Park (though we're never told that in the very limited DVD notes). It's a nice choice -- I've camped there and it's a glorious park -- but too often the filming was done in the harsh light of mid-day. Anyone with any cinema or photographic experience knows much better light is to be had in the early morning or late day.



Some of the DVD titles are simply silly, too. Check out "Dreaming" which is nature sounds and music slapped on top of an unchanging view of sparkles in water. It's really nice for, oh, one minute. Then you keep waiting for something more and it never arrives. "Algonquin Sunset" is another embarrassment, views of a crackling fire in front of a nameless, generic lake. It looks incredibly hokey. "Winter Wonder" isn't bad...the Gibsons go to Niagara Falls to film and it's a rich experience. But in the end, I wanted more. How about a trip to the Rocky Mountains? The glorious Pacific Ocean in B.C.'s Pacific Rim National Park? The lack of geographic breadth is a serious shortcoming.



In the end, this is still a good buy. But so is The Best of Solitudes: 20th Anniversary Collection. It's all music and you won't find yourself disappointed."

Nice for relaxation

tomdw | keene | 03/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have to agree with Francis' review, especially about the light and the couple of rather silly segments that really aren't worth watching at all. On the other hand, the DVD included here does something that none of the other nature/music DVD's that I've found does: it stays on a scene and allows the viewer to soak it in and enjoy it immensely. Yes, the lighting could have been better, but in real life we often see things in the harsh mid-day sun. What I love about this DVD is that the makers didn't ruin the scenes by fading out almost as soon as they show us the scene, moving to another scene in five or six seconds, never letting us really get into what we see. They don't speed up the clouds, like one series I've seen does (how is that relaxing???) They linger on the beauty, following the river, keeping the camera in the front of the boat on the lake, allowing us to go along with them. It's refreshing, and it's very relaxing. The music is beautiful, too, and never gets annoying or away from the focus on relaxation. Yes, I would have liked better light, and I could have done without the light on the water or the campfire, but all in all, this is a very positive DVD to have, and I've spent many an hour allowing the DVD's peace wash over me and relax me."