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Aria 3: Metamorphosis
by Aria, Paul Schwartz
Product Group: Music
Studio: Koch Records
ISBN: B0002PUH7Y
EAN: 0099923576525
UPC: 099923576525
Audio CD
Original Release Date: 2004-09-21
Release Date: 2004-09-21
SKU: 07120465
Condition: Like New Like New
Comments: Audio CD in like new condition with no keepsake case with with minor wear and like new art work and labels.
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Editorial Reviews
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Amazon.com
Souping up the classics with whatever contemporary music pulse is current at the moment has a long history. Some artists, like Emerson, Lake and Palmer, aspired to classical grandiosity. Others, like Michael Murphy and his discofied "A Fifth of Beethoven," turn classical melodies into pop hooks. Paul Schwartz falls somewhere in the middle with his Aria project, of which this is the third. Electronica grooves and effects angle their way through songs "based" on operatic works by Handel, Verdi, Puccini, and Monteverdi. Schwartz begins with a bar set high by some of these melodies, beautifully sung by soprano Rebecca Luker. Whether singing solo or in multi-tracked choirs, her voice opens heavens' gates, but she has to slog through some pedestrian arrangements to get there. Schwartz understands the difference between an orchestra and a synthesizer and with only a few exceptions--like the cheesy opening to "Ombra Ma Fu"--deploys each in appropriate measures. "Ascension," based on a Monteverdi aria is particularly striking with its underlying electronic ostinatos cycling through the breathtaking refrain. But too often, Schwartz's strings are saccharine and his rhythms clichéd in a music that uses high art only to reach for the facile. Like most classical-pop crossovers, time usually renders a verdict of kitsch in the first degree. --John Diliberto
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Customer Reviews
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Another gem from Schwartz
Rating  (5)
Date: 2007-02-21
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Much like Aria 1 & 2 this is another gem, presenting a unique interpretation of classic arias. It is an awesome compilation. I look forward to Aria 4 (is there one in the works?)!!
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so happy to have found this
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-12-31
1 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
This CD is one of Paul Schwartz's best; it's definitely the best out of all 3 Arias. I really hopes he continues making State of Grace and Aria CDs because they are amazing.
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Massage Music that my clients LOVE
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-08-05
I now have all 3 CDs in the "Aria" famiy, and this one, like its predecessors is truely GREAT massage music! My clients love the entire Aria family of CDs. I've been a big fan of Rebecca Luker for quite sometime now and she SHINES like the truely elegant vocal star that she is on this album. A buy that is DEFINATELY well worth it!
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Soul Satisfying
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-04-29
8 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
I love this CD. It's especially wonderful when it's rainy outside and I'm curled up by the fire inside. My son who is 16, blind and autistic loves it and plays it over and over. I think he taps into the immediate relaxation and beautiful blend of classical with technology.
I'm with all the others. Who cares if this somehow "interprets" the classic correctly or not? It is pleasing to the ears and that's all that matters.
Minneapolis, MN
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Powerful interpretations of classics for modern ears.
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-03-18
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
As in Aria 1 and Aria 2, the incredible lyric soprano voice of Rebecca Luker delivers excellent music, song after song. She gives us an interpretation of Handel's Serse; a selection from Puccini's La Rondine; another selection from Verdi's La Traviata; an aria from Handel's Rinaldo; another nice selection from Puccini's Madame Butterfly; and a final selection from Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione.
The CD also has 6 instrumental works, arranged by Paul Schwartz. There is a very nice interpretation of Handel's tragic Sarabande, with vocals by the Joyful Company of Singers and words from Psalm 7. This piece reminds me of the tragic majesty of Carmina Burana.
Paul Schwartz consistently delivers powerful reinterpretations of classical music for modern ears.
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