Search - Harold Budd :: Pavilion of Dreams

Beautifully Tranquil

A Thoughtful Consumer | Southern Calif | 11/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own 5 or 6 Harold Budd CDs and this one is my favorite. It is different from the others because not only is the instrumentation odd but to me it really 'feels' calm,tranquil joy. For me, it brings to mind being on a beautiful South Pacific island, on the beach,completely in the moment. Sometimes the music makes me think about diving and watching the schools of fish sweep and twist like smoke in a breeze. My favorite piece is Madrigals of the Rose Angel. It's an ethereal women's choir and minimal space piano. It's something like the last movement of Holst's 'The Planets', but more ethereal and more mysterious. Budd uses some interesting combinations of instruments on this CD. There's a piece featuring the mellowest sax in the universe, ambient women's voices, oddly a marimba is here, and of course his piano. It all fits nicely. Surely when we finally become angels, lounging out on the clouds, this CD is what it's going to sound like."

It's very, very beautiful.

Fesenjen | Bainbridge Island, WA USA | 10/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my favorite Harold Budd album, although it's close between this and White Arcades, She is Phantom and Plateaux of Mirror. I don't know how to describe it. It transports me to a wonderful place. It makes me find the most peaceful, contemplative places inside myself. I think of it as a whole thing, rather than individual pieces - just play it all the way through and enjoy the magic. Don't let the "Ambient" tags put you off -- this music comes from a powerful place, and a place where peace is power. I've been listening to this since 1984 or so and it has consistently allowed me to find peace and inspiration when I need it. I use it to pump myself up for creative efforts. Words are failing me -- I can't endorse it enough."