Andreas Vollenweider Slow Flow Dancer

2009 album from the Swiss harpist. Vollenweider revolutionized contemporary instrumental music and became the first composer/producer gaining worldwide recognition (including a Grammy Award) for instrumental music. In the process, more than 15 million albums were sold…

Selections from "Trilogy", "Down to the Moon", "Dancing with the Lion", "The Book of Roses" and "Eolian Minstrel", performed live by Vollenweider and his collaborators in concert tours from 1992 through 1994. This 2-CD set also includes an additional nine tracks of previously unreleased material done in a similar style to the cuts on the aforementioned albums - a wonderful bonus for fans of vintage Vollenweider. It's nice to hear the in-concert variations and improvisations of old favorites, and how gratifying also to hear all the live cheers and applause for this truly amazing artist and his repertoire of uniquely fascinating compositions.

Selections from "Trilogy", "Down to the Moon", "Dancing with the Lion", "The Book of Roses" and "Eolian Minstrel", performed live by Vollenweider and his collaborators in concert tours from 1992 through 1994. This 2-CD set also includes an additional nine tracks of previously unreleased material done in a similar style to the cuts on the aforementioned albums - a wonderful bonus for fans of vintage Vollenweider. It's nice to hear the in-concert variations and improvisations of old favorites, and how gratifying also to hear all the live cheers and applause for this truly amazing artist and his repertoire of uniquely fascinating compositions.

Andreas Vollenweider's Grammy-winning effort is dominated by the Swiss musician's electrically modified harp. Its distinctive sound runs throughout the album, supported by the usual tinkering synthesizer effects and light percussion. After an extended introductory interlude, the title track zips into a vaguely Caribbean-styled rhythm. "Water Moon" features a different, more organic harp sound; it's mixed with the windy tones of a flute, suggesting ghostly moonshafts lancing through falling rain. Vollenweider plays the harp strings off of guitar strings on the surprisingly twangy (for new age, anyway) "Drown in Pale Light." The composer weaves the album's instrumentals together with a goody bag of pan-ethnic influences; the album's margins are full of these little touches that nevertheless make a big difference. Down to the Moon will appeal to anyone looking for music that's as interesting as it is soothing.

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…

A selection of live concerts from all over the world, from the early 80s until 2007. It is an interesting time document, highlighting the many stages of development of the Andreas Vollenweider & Friends project over 25 years.
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.

A selection of live concerts from all over the world, from the early 80s until 2007. It is an interesting time document, highlighting the many stages of development of the Andreas Vollenweider & Friends project over 25 years.
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.

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…

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…