Music Review | Works of Wim Mertens

After Virtue (Les Disques Du Crépuscule / Delabel, 1988)

“After Virtue” is a New Age and contemporary instrumental piano solo album by Wim Mertens released in 1988.

“Justice” is an apathetic and relaxing New Age taste fragmental piano piece has elements of Jazz.

“Prudence” is miserable and Folk taste passionate piano piece.

“Temperance” is sorrowful and passionate piano piece features impressive solid arpeggios and backings.

“Courage” is a pure contemporary impressionist piano piece without clear melody.

“Humility” is left-hand arpeggio based beautiful and sentimental piano piece with nice melodies.

“Faith” is a contemporary impressionist song, which is silent also passionate.

“Hope”, despite the title, the mood is initially melancholic, but some lights of the hope I can find in melodies and harmonies. Later part song become more vivid and solid.

“Charity” is left-hand arpeggio based passionate also warm song fills with Mertens’ lover for people and the world.

Excellent contemporary and New Age piano solo album, there’s the mixture of the elements of especially Impressionist Music, and Jazz, Traditional Music, Minimal Music and today’s non-state mood.

Voice of the Living (Usura Music, 2023)

“Too Good, Too Looe” is a melancholic and passionate, (Spanish Celt?) Folk taste instrumental song by piano, strings and clarinet.

“Glossary Raisonné” is Celtic Folk, New Age and Pop taste refreshing and bright vocal song.

“Escape And Recapture” is Folk and serious mood vocal song with impressive trumpet and strings accompaniments.

“Angles And Dangles” is nostalgic and sweet vocal song.

“Overlapping Neighbourhoods” is Scottish Folk taste fantastic Pop vocal song.

“Continuous Pushforwards” is an eleven minutes length Scottish Folk Dance taste instrumental song, also resembles Minimal Music like Steve Reich. Piano and strings basically play accompaniment backings and chords. Wind instruments play repetitions of minimal phrases.

“Note Notae” is a sentimental vocal New Age song with impressive clarinet and strings accompaniments.

It’s a good Scottish Folk taste New Age vocal album with piano and strings and wind instruments ensemble. But my favourite songs are two instrumental songs.

Resources and Links

Wim Mertens (official site)

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Music Review | Joe Hisaishi Solo Albums

Minima_Rhythm (Universal Sigma, 2009)

“Minima_Rhythm” by Joe Hisaishi is an orchestral Minimal Music album released in 2009.

Hisaishi, from student days and in the early career he interested in and was influenced by Minimal Music, and adopted and released some Minimal Music works in his early era. This album is revival and renewal of his endeavour to Minimal Music.

“Links” is a bright Minimal Music orchestral song. Repetitions of some phrases and their overlaps make use of tone of various instruments, the huge space reflection, the board and complex echo of the orchestra.

“Sinfonia For Chamber Orchestra” is three part Minimal Music suit for chamber orchestra. Bright, brave and dynamic Minimal Music make use of fine phrases of strings and, wind and brass instruments and their call and response and ensemble plays.

“MKWAJU 1981-2009” is a renewal of an early works of Hisaishi. The formation is the orchestra features marimbas. The composition and arrangement resembles Steve Reich, but this song is more bright, dynamic, sophisticated and complex.

“The End of the World” is a Contemporary and Minimal grand symphony.

“DA・MA・SHI・E” is a bright mood Minimal orchestra song associates “In C” by Terry Riley and there is backing of marimbas like Steve Reich. Each repetitions of phrases crosses complexly constantly changing, so listeners can’t grasp the true shape of the song.

This album is deeply influenced by Minimal Music of Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Philip Glass, but the compositions, orchestra arrangements and recordings are more bright, clear, contemporary and sophisticated.

Minima_Rhythm II (A&M, 2015)

Minima_Rhythm II is the second release of the Minima_Rhythm project by Joe Hisaishi.

“Inori No Uta for Piano” (Song for Prayer) is Erik Satie taste minimal and apathetic piano solo piece without particular melody.

“Shaking Anxiety And Dreamy Globe For 2 Marimbas” is like Steve Reich’s iconic style marimba arpeggio ensemble song. But sometime rhythm changes and they play dynamic.

“Single Track Music 1 For 4 Saxophones And Percussion” features saxophones play minimal phrases. Percussions and vibraphone play accompaniment.

“Wave” is a refreshing and New Wave taste minimal piano solo piece.

“String Quartet No.1” is stateless and contemporary taste and various mood minimal string quartet suit. “I. Encounter” is minimal also amusing and dynamic movement. “II. Phosphorescent Sea” is a Classical and Avantgarde melancholic movement like Schöneberg and Berg. “III. Metamorphosis” is more pathetic and tragic movement like the Second Viennese School. “IV. Other World” is Steve Reich and cinematic taste, also brave and heroic composition made by minimal phrase repetitions of each part, and their parts crosses and emerge complex sound patterns.

Resources and Links

Joe Hisaishi (official site)

Universal Music Japan – Joe Hisaishi

Wikipedia (JP)

Wikipedia (EN)

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Music Review | Works of Philip Glass

Glassworks (Sony Classical, 1982)

“Glassworks” by Philip Glass is the representative composition and release of Glass and one of masterpiece of Minimal Music. A six parts suit and each part is consist of different formations.

“I. Opening” is sorrowful and apathetic minimal piano solo piece, adopts repetitions of arpeggio phrases and their development.

“II. Floe” is very minimal song by repetitions of each phrases by each instrument of the ensemble (2 flutes, 2 soprano saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones, 2 horns and synthesizer). The simply play with syncing by all instruments, but it appears swinging and modulated sound patterns.

“III. Island” is a slow calm and melancholic song by brasses and wind instruments. Each instrument play minimal phrases and tones, make a sound structure.

“IV. Rubric” is the dynamic variation of Part II. Electric bass added, and the tempo is higher (around 125) and each play more dynamic and there many chord changes and key changes. Very refreshing and Rock taste Minimal Music.

“V. Façades” Glass’s iconic taste melancholic and Classical and Minimal Music composition. It begins with minimal arpeggio phrases by cello and viola. Soprano saxophone solo follows. Then the soprano saxophone and another one play riffs and play solos.

“VI. Closing” is the variation of “Part I” played by piano, strings and wind instruments.

There are full of Glass’s Minimal and Classical taste and simple and easy to understand Minimal Music, and it’s Pop-Avantgarde Music for wide range of music lovers.

Solo Piano (CBS, 1989)

“Solo Piano” by Philip Glass is the first piano solo album of him and composed and played by himself.

“Metamorphoses” is the 5 song piano solo suit is inspired by Franz Kafka’s same title novel.

“Part 1” is left hand simple arpeggio based very minimal and melancholic song. Right hand touches are few and play fragmental notes and chord backings only.

“Part 2” is a sorrowful and sentimental song. It’s consist of left hand arpeggios and right hand melodies. But I get the feel of a little hope by upward melodies.

“Part 3” is very minimal left hand arpeggio and right hand chord backing plain song. It progresses the same pattern, and chord and key changes.

“Part 4” is a wonderful and mystic mood composition. Also it’s consist of left hand arpeggio and right hand chord backing.

“Part 5” is the variation of “Part 1” of little different arrangement.

This suit is a standard and representative work of Philip Glass and Minimal Music.

“Mad Rush” is a very minimal song, is consist of only both hand arpeggios. The touches of piano become stranger and weaker then it changes the notes of arpeggios. There’s Romantic Music taste but piano plays only arpeggios.

“Wichita Vortex Sutra” is bright and brave song is only left hand, right hand or both hands arpeggios and chord backings.

Resources and Links

Philip Glass (official site)

Philip Glass Ensemble (official site)

Bandcamp

Wikipedia

Britannica

English National Opera

Wise Music Classical

Discogs

Pitchfork

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