Richter plays Prokofiev

Advantages: Useful for helping to teach yung children about musical instruments
Disadvantages: The story is a little bit grown up for some of the younger audiences.

...Sergei Prokofiev is a fantastic composer and this is one of his best works. Peter and the Wolf is a story about how a child disobeys his gandfathers advice, and has a rather scary encounter with a wolf. He is saved by some huntsmen and the story ends happily. Each of the characters has its own representative instrument from the orchestra. Peter, a young boy is represented by the strings, who have lots of tunes with excellent harmonies. Peter's grandfather, whom Peter ignores, is played by the bassoons, a personal favourite of mine as i myself play one. I think that the bassoon has been chosen to play the grand father because it has a sense of age, and, being a bass instrument, has a sense of authority and towards the end sternness for the disobedience of Peter. Throughout the tale there are animals. The cat is played by the clarinets... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Elegant, modern, traditional yet unique
Disadvantages: Not enough people will ever listen to it

..., this first track: The Blue Notebooks. And then we're suddenly drawn by wistful cello into On The Nature of Daylight. Each stroke of the bow seems long and tender as a tear and is both quite hypnotic and quite beautiful. The music flows with simplicity but is never simple or lachrymose. It is delicate yet with an underlying tension, exemplified by the violin as it cuts careful swathes across us. Then Horizon Variations first hints at the production. Richter's piano is carefully, almost imperceptibly manipulated as it plays alone, a short but beautiful segue into: Typewriters and Tilda Swinton, her voice the bridge between pieces and Shadow Journal (and Swinton is speaking as if from a journal), where we realise the carefully placed electronics. An ululating, electronic throb plays beneath lone strings, delicate and precise, matched... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Brilliant lyrics and catchy tunes
Disadvantages: One or two songs aren't great

...Michael learns to Rock is a popular band whose members come from Denmark. The members are Jascha Richter, Soren Madsen, Mikkel Lentz and Kare Wanscher who play the keyboard, guitar and percussion, guitar and keyboard, and drums and percussion respectively. Their album 'Greatest Hits' is a great album featuring songs such as 'Paint My Love', 'Love Will Never Die' and 'Breaking My Heart'. Michael Learns to Rock is a great collector's CD, one you would like to listen to every now and then. In my opinion, all devote music fans should have this CD in their collections - it's not that often that such a great band comes from Denmark!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful