Andreas Vollenweider

Andreas Vollenweider - Air
with Xavier Naidoo and others
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 509 MB | Full Artwork: 72 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Edel Records # 0196302CTT | Country/Year: Germany 2009
Genre: Electronica, Folk | Style: Newage

…AIR’s strength is its consistently lyrical atmosphere. Describing the character of this basic atmosphere, terms such as ‘poetical, lyrical, melodic, personal, intimate, close, relaxed, tender, dreamy, sensual, acoustic, live’ come to mind… There are no floating, artificial synthesizer sound tapestries on AIR, everything was recorded live by exceptional musicians who do not care about acrobatic and garrulous virtuosity and know that you have to allow ample space for that mysterious tension to build up in the pauses between the notes…

This compilation includes Andreas Vollenweider's first three albums, the new composition "Pace Verde," and selections from 1984's Eine Art Suite. While it's Vollenweider's trademark electric harp playing that unifies these songs, the composer features numerous other instruments, including acoustic guitar, accordion, and the ever-present synthesizers. "Trilogy"'s extended intro of hushed voices and shuffling feet gives way to raindrop percussion before a song seems to emerge out of the ether, featuring crisp snare drum and a dreamy melody plucked out on Vollenweider's modified instrument…

Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider is back! A new album "Quiet Places", a novel "Im Spiegel Der Venus", concerts and open-airs. Let us remember: Andreas Vollenweider stands for sold out tours worldwide in auditoriums like Carnegie Hall or Radio City Music Hall in New York, Universal Amphitheatre Los Angeles, Palladium in London, NHK Hall in Tokyo or Town Hall in Sydney. He has released 18 albums from 1980 to the present day and has sold more than 15 million physical records. Grammy Award, Latin Grammy and World Music Award as well as other Grammy nominations, most recently in 2007, stand for his unique success.

A musical journey with a special Best Of collection with songs from almost all of the historic albums, selected by Andreas. Songs, which are particularly refering to Andreas' speciality: musical storytelling.
Andreas Vollenweider was one of the few musicians to gain superstar status as a "new age artist" back when the term was first used as a marketing category in the mid-'80s. The Swiss harpist, however, quickly transcended the need for alternative record sales when his albums simultaneously broached Billboard's pop, jazz, and classical charts in 1986. Born in Zurich in 1953, Vollenweider was ensconced in the city's fine art scene, courtesy of his father, one of Europe's leading organists. After becoming proficient on guitar, flute, and other instruments, the young Vollenweider developed a passion for the harp, which he modified to suit his needs…

Andreas Vollenweider's Book of Roses marries concept to contemporary instrumentalism, and blends the music of numerous cultures into the composer's already worldly sound. Separated into four chapters (where each song is an "episode"), the album chronicles the journey of a young girl from dances in grand ballrooms, through mysterious woods full of magical jugglers, to an eventual meeting with the Sphinx. In between there are numerous other adventures, each punctuated by some of the most ambitious music of Vollenweider's career. His trademark electric harp is still here, and the flair for sweeping arrangement is intact. But the straightforward pop-jazz of "In Doga Gamee" (complete with lyrics) suggests Soul Cages-era Sting, while "In the Woods of Kroandal" marries a romantic classical swell to flamenco guitar and nature sounds…

Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider continues his exploration of world fusion on this ambitious, genre-blending release. In addition to the usual presence of Vollenweider's electrified harp, on which he manages to combine the instrument's lush, classical sound with unusual rhythmic effects and uncharacteristic tones, Kryptos boasts a range of other instruments, including flutes, synthesizer, human choruses, and a variety of percussion.
Stylistically Vollenweider draws on African influences, Greek folk songs, Celtic airs, contemporary Western classical, and dramatic film music. Vollenweider also has a soft spot for mythological themes, as on "Hermes' Wedding" and "Circulus Finalis," which recounts the travels of a hero in musical terms. Vollenweider is clearly building on his successful albums of the early 1980s with Kryptos, expanding the reach of his music to encompass the globe.