Search - Michael Hoppe, Martin Tillmann :: The Poet: Romances for Cello

The Poet Romances for Cello - An Aural and a Visual Treat

Terry Maurice | Guelph, Ontario Canada | 12/06/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a cellist who has found this music to be a wonderful listening and playing experience. I often play along and improvise a second cello part to Michael Hoppe's beautiful, melodic lines. He is not one who is afraid to express emotion in his music and Martin Tillmann's playing is more than up to the task with his romantic and lush tone. While I enjoy playing 'classical' pieces for cello, I have been searching for more modern pieces that really speak to the heart. This disc certainly does that. It has become one of the very favorites in my collection. Each composition has its own characteristic feeling and mood, much as does each of the photographs and poems. The whole concept is quite creative and unique. The photographs of the poets were taken by Michael Hoppe's grandfather, Emil, who was an eminent photographer in the early and middle part of the 20th century in England. Each piece has been composed by Michael Hoppe to reflect the feelings of the poem and each poem is accompanied by one of his grandfather's photographs. My favorites are 'Renouncement' for the poet Alice Meynell' for its depth of emotional feeling. Another favorite is 'Moon Ghosts' for Aldous Huxley, with its soaring lines and the wonderful way in which the cello and synthesizer are used. The plucked cello string has a unique musical quality that is used far too seldomly. 'Prayer' for Kahlil Gibran is a very deeply touching piece that puts me in mind, more from a feeling point than an musical one, of classical pieces by Bloch and Bruch. The use of arpeggios in this piece is a wonderful touch, as is the use of the lower register of the cello. Michael Hoppe writes so well for the cello and explores the lower, middle and higher sounds of the cello very effectively. The rest of the pieces on the disc are each unique and express in musical terms the poems that have been chosen for the Emil Hoppe portraits. I love them all. This disc is, as you have probably gathered by now, very highly recommended to those looking for a melodic and deeply moving, musical listening experience."

The best New Age Cello disc so far

Dean Mixon | California | 12/25/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Much New Age music is pleasant; not much has sufficient musical depth to be memorable. The Poet is gifted with actual melody, a beguiling romanticism, and a performance of such sensitivity and skill (I am married to a cellist and have developed an ear for these things) that one listens to the music again and again in grateful amazement. Even my snotty pure clasical friends love this disc."

EXTRAORDINARY

Dean Mixon | 12/22/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a classical musician and this has to be one of the lovliest CD's in my collection. I am ordering two more today to give to friends. Words cannot possibly begin to reflect the deeply moving, poetic passion Hoppe & Tillmann have so beautifully captured."