REVIEW: William Orbit, Pieces in a Modern Style (Maverick)
- Chris Hill
The melding of classical music with the synthesizer began memorably with Wendy Carlos' Switched On Bach: the "Chopsticks" drilled adult standing proudly over the keyboard and urging these two cousins to kiss. Grammy-winning musician/producer William Orbit now successfully joins the list of those with similar matrimonial urges.
Eleven tracks chosen from nine composers (Orbit opts for two pieces each from Henryk Gorecki and Ludwig van Beethoven), Pieces... is serene and contemplative. Orbit's said as much in his interviews. This is an album best appreciated privately, late at night, with headphones, as an exercise in meditation.
Start to finish, a gentle peace reigns. Mascagni's "Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana" is childlike and toddling, all wide-eyed innocence, as is "In a Landscape," by minimalist John Cage. The lullaby ambience of Ravel's "Pavane pour une Infante Defunte," the processional drama of Handel's "Largo from Xerxes," the measured playfulness of Vivaldi's "L'Inverno" ("Winter" from The Four Seasons): without exception, each track is pure splendor and delightfully rendered by Orbit.
Though each piece is adapted with proper respect, there's room for fun and games. Phased notes and windchimes dance around each other on Beethoven's "Triple Concerto" and a helicopter flies across the sonic horizon in Erik Satie's "Ogives Number 1."
Given the sublime pacing of the full album, it's laudable that Orbit allowed Perry Forsten (and German DJ ATB) to amp up his take on Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings." The Forsten remix, which allows the Orbit version only the calm of the hurricane's eye at the center of the remix, is currently topping the UK charts. Perhaps morphing Barber to techno speed didn't fit Orbit's inclination or vision -- either explanation, the dance mixes are an excellent way to garner notice for a disc that deserves all the sales attention it can find. (As a bonus, the two remixes are available with the US CD release.)
Allow Pieces... to slip around your consciousness like mercury, from the initial, instantly recognizable "Adagio for Strings" to the setting sunset of Beethoven's "Opus 132." You won't be disappointed.
