Your IP has been blocked. Please perform the action below to regain access.
75.126.130.58-
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
-
"Innovative"
It was a pleasure hearing and watching this brilliant artist with his innovative and creative style. While this CD/DVD is saturated with hunger and ambition, it's also confident and sophisticated. It is a work of effortless symphonic grandeur, beautifully excessive and ornamented with dazzling arrangements.
I can understand why the "purists" give this CD a substandard review - they tend not to think outside of the box.
Rating: 
-
Entertainment Value Only
Cameron Carpenter is a very talented musician with brilliant technique and a wonderful creativity. The problem is that performances (or recordings, in this case) of this nature are not about the music or the medium; rather, they are solely about the performer - musical narcissism at an illogical extreme. Need evidence? Just look at the cover. Or consider that Mr. Carpenter plays the left-hand bravura of Chopin's Revolutionary Etude in the Pedal, an unnecessary display of virtuosity affording the performance little (or no) musical advantage or gain. (The display is precisely the reason it's on the DVD.)
Am I a purist? Maybe. Do I want intelligent performances where the artist asks "Does this make sense?" You bet. I also want to hear a real organ - ie. with pipes, not this computer. Would you pay to see or hear Horowitz or Richter play a Clavinova? If this makes me a purist, then sure.
Be wowed by the spectacle and entertained by the quirky imagination. But don't expect profundity or insight
As a final note, it would be appreciated if those who leave comments refrain from name-calling insults leveled at others who hold opposing views. It is unnecessary and impolite as well as only enervates your arguments.
Rating: 
-
Revolutionary? Not really.
A few days after this CD was released there were around four 1 star reviews. Now they're gone. I wonder why the honest criticism was removed?
In my opinion the only thing amazing about this CD is how the "artist" can have such a profound technical ability and have so little musical taste. It is very easy to be taken in by the shear technical brilliance of this musician, and it's easy to understand why such a gifted musician would easily become board with playing music as it was intended to be performed. Often child prodigies become very frustrated because they think playing notes is all there is when in reality there is so much more. However, the result of Mr. Carpenters boredom of his view of the status quo does not make for good listening if one is at all familiar the music contained in this CD. Imagine a cranky child banging on a keyboard because he's frustrated with his piano lesson... now imagine that same child performing feats of technical brilliance because of the same frustration, and that is what the listener may expect to here in this CD.
Lots of brilliant technique, but very poor understanding of the music. Take away the technique, and all that's left is banging on a keyboard. Sadly, great technique does not an artist make.
Rating: -
Amazing!
Cameron takes the organ, an instrument that has rarely been recognized in any other setting other than church, and brings it out into a performance realm. Cameron is a prodigy and he will bring a lot more interest and respect to the organ world. Whether you love classical music or are a person who dabbles in a little of everything. this is a record to check out!
Rating: -
Revolutionary Indeed!
The reviews are mixed as I expected. There is so much to consider with the CD/DVD. The purists will hate it. The novice will be blown away.
I have been learning as much as I can about Cameron from the web. As a former/retired teacher I see Cameron as a true genius- not for his technical ability, but the way he is put together mentally. He is so far beyond what the average person can grasp or comprehend, that he is completely misunderstood.
Can he play tradition organ music in a tradition fashion- musically? Of course he can. So can many fine talented organists. Will those performances reach the common public? Perhaps not. Will his performances reach the common public? Probably. And in this day when youth demands over-stimulation to catch their attention, this will do it. Contrary to what the purists say, he IS very musical. The performances are just so different in their renderings, that the purists don't see/hear it- or can't accept it. Probably the latter.
Cameron is another Virgil Fox or Jean Gilliou. Both were/are misunderstood, both were/are controversial, both were/are very musical and talented. Different does NOT mean BAD!!! Different is JUST different.
If you can grasp what Cameron is trying to say on his recent Pipedreams {www.pipedreams.org} program #0837, he tells what he is trying to do. He has the purpose to reach a new generation and let them know that the organ is still the greatest instrument of all time and not just something found in a church for Sunday worship services.
I hope to see more of Cameron Carpenter, not just hear more. Visually, he is captivating in his technical ability. I hope he will do more improvisations done on the spot and not written previously for performance. He is so good at them.
Keep an open mind. Know that you are watching/hearing a genius. We have so few among us today.
Good Luck, Cameron!
![: Revolutionary [Includes Bonus DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31ERl-RlTDL._SL160_.jpg)
