Some of the groups I
love:
After Crying from
Hungary.
My comments on them are in the Bands section of
e-prog
From: "Andrew J. Rózsa"
<rozsa@pobox.com> Subject: Re: After Crying's "Bootleg
Symphony" - Seeing a request for Finnish translation I remembered
that I promised Otso a review of AC's "Bootleg Symphony
["Koncertszimfónia"]."
I'll make this one short and
sweet... I absolutely delighted myself and listened to the CD
several times. My wife thought it was "copelandish," and couldn't
care less. But remember, she thinks Leonora No. 3 is the greatest
piece of music ever composed, so you can't really trust her judgment
- and if you tell her I said so, I will deny it.
This is NOT the album
to start your After Crying listening experience, since, unless you
know the pieces, you may not find them particularly attractive.
Almost all the tracks have been heard on previous albums, albeit,
sometimes in hugely different form. The influence of folk music is
there in many variations, as we expect from AC. This is modern
symphonic music, with prog elements, rather than what we usually
hear, which is prog based on symphonic music. Strong brass, strings,
etc. frequently take the foreground, although Lengyel Zoltán's
piano, Pejtsik Péter's cello or bass, Madai Zsolt's percussions,
Torma Ferenc's guitar, and Winkler Balazs' trumpet are always in
strong evidence. Andrejszki Judit's vocals remind me of PLP's
Magdalena. Legradi Gabor's voice it's pleasant and clear. The
instrumental expertise of the players is, as always, exceptionally
good.
Don't be surprised if you
hear Gershwin or Oldfield styles. The dynamic range of the music is
terrific: from very delicately lyrical (Track 5) to almost
belligerently BIG sound (e.g. Track 9). And, of course, the humor in
Track 12's "Burlesque" is well know to all. I dare you not to
smile.
It helps if you understand
the lyrics, but you don't need them, since the music stands on its
own merit. If you are keen on translations, English translations are
available at AC's site: http://www.aftercrying.hu/eng-lyr.html
This was played for an audience who
expected and got modern classical music. ["bootleg" refers to the
fact that this was a live stereo recording at the Liszt Ferenc Music
Academy in Budapest - I think; I am going to start exporting cough
suppressants to Hungary and make a fortune! :-(]
The quality of the recording
is good, but the sound of the tracks is variable. Frequently the
endings are not polished - they end abruptly, mainly because several
tracks will make up a Part. Otherwise, the album is near studio
quality.
Overall, I love the album,
but then these musicians cannot do wrong by me: I like everything
they did or do. Having said that, I reiterate: this is not a
"starter's" album. If you have heard the music before and liked, you
will have a very pleasant surprise... this is the extension of that
music further into what I consider "modern classical."
If you like AC, definitely
get this album.
The album is in four parts
and the tracks listing is as follows:
I 1.Viaduct Symphonic
version / szimfonikus változat
2. Struggle for Life I-II
(including: Enigma) Symphonic version / szimfonikus változat
3.
Enigma Symphonic version / szimfonikus változat
4. Struggle for
Life II
II 5. Suburban Night / Külvárosi éj from Struggle for
Life '
6. Cool Night / Jó éjt from Struggle for Life '
7.
Night-Red / Éjszaka New release / Új kiadás
8. Cool Night
(reprise)
III 9. Arrival of Manticore I / Manticore érkezése I
Symphonic version / szimfonikus változat
10. Aqua Almost Pure
Instrumental '
11. Intermezzo After Crying 6 '
12. Burlesque
After Crying 6 '
IV. 13. Finale (from "Big Evil Fun Fair Final")
Original orchestration from After Crying 6 '
14. Shinin' Original
orchestration from Overground Music 6 '
Somebody asked for
consensus as to the best album After Crying has... my reply was as
follows:
From: "Andrew J.
Rózsa" Subject: Re: RE:
After Crying's "Bootleg Symphony" I understand your question, but I
have no answer for you. Others' mileage will
vary. I don't listen to albums. I listen to
music. To me, the music of a group like AC, is like a bagful of real
(not cultured) pearls. They may not be
perfect, in fact it is the flaws that make them unique. Each is
beautiful and valued on its own right. Some are bigger, some are
smaller, some are rounder, others are more
misshapen. Yet, when you make a necklace out of them, you have true
beauty to behold. Similarly, any given
one track of an artist or artists may appeal to me
one time more than others, but all will fit into the overall
picture, over time.
Depending on my mood, which is variable, and
the environment, circumstances, and
listening device, I may pick one track today as delightful, and
another tomorrow.
I don't participate in polls
(although I find them interesting) because I don't listen to albums
by year of release or category. I hear about a 1972 album in 2001,
and that album may be the best I have heard in February of 2001. The same album may leave me
substantially less satisfied 2 months later. And vice versa. I find
a group that touches me and it's quite
possible that I will acquire everything that group has
released and will listen to nothing but them for several weeks on
end.
AC's style of music, their
instrumental skills, their philosophy, their
evolution over the years, their fitness with my own cultural
heritage all combine to make them my all time most favorite musical
creators. Today.
But I felt this way
about Walter/Wendy Carlos in the late 60s, Tangerine Dream and Pink
Floyd in the 70s, the Italian and German proggers in the 80s, my
electronic musician friends in the 90s, etc. Sometimes my likes
and dislikes run seasonally... last
Christmas and this year's I couldn't get enough of TSO's 3 albums,
for instance. Occasionally I listened to
operatic Christmas albums, or gospel singing, even a
cappella, but I kept returning to TSO. Next year? Who knows?
:-)
As far as consensus is
concerned.... I'll be absolutely amazed if there
IS consensus..... which is what makes this list absolutely a
pleasure to read.
From: "Andrew J.
Rózsa"
Date: Tue
Jan 29, 2002 10:26 pm
Subject: Re: [e-Prog] new Vedres Csaba and
Korai Orom available
Some of you asked...so here it is:
I found a
Hungarian source for Vedres Csaba and Korai Orom.
I bought the
following:
Vedres Csaba: "Zongorazene" (Piano Music) CD; XP006
Vedres Csaba: "EPHATA I. - Tortured & Formatted" CD; XP013
Vedres Csaba: "Lélektánc" (Spirit Dance) CD; SKKTCD202
Korai
Öröm: "2001", CD; KORAI0006
and Emil is selling them for $10 a
piece plus $5 for shipping... so the 4
CDs above will cost $45,
everything included. Emil Biljarszki is the
promoter and manager
for the group Korai Orom (see reviews at e-prog Web site) and now
also the export manager for Fono Records (Hungary).
Write him
directly at <fono@fonorecords.hu> or visit the store at:
http://www.fonorecords.hu/cdaruhaz/ and check out the Katalogus.
They are listing only the new stuff, but they have a lot, if not
everything we need from Vedres and Korai Orom. I have asked about
Solaris and After Crying, will let you know. Dont' worry about
the Hungarian. They speak English and eventually will have
everything tri-lingually. Meanwhile, ask me... I will translate, or
look for stuff for you.
Jó zenét,
mindenkinek.
