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But what does it prove. Yes, Keith Jarrett is a wonder. At times, it seems as though there are two, perhaps three, pianists playing simultaneously. Caveat emptor.
Don't buy the Vienna concert until you've heard, say, a half hour's worth. If you can fight off the headache, make the purchase. He also plays splendid Bach and Handel. His The Melody At Night, With You is one of the most gorgeous and sensitive albums I know of.
There is little beauty, wit, or thoughtfulness. Jarrett is at his best, in my opinion, when facing a score. In this album, as in others, his technical prowess at the piano is amazing. And after you've seen it a couple of times, who cares any more.
Wow, look at those hulks move weights. The problem here, as in similar solo improvisational albums, is that the technique is an end in itself. Listening to this often painful album is like watching a world's strongest man contest.
As a professional classical pianist, I'm tempted to say that of all piano records I've heard, this one has been the most influential. I was obsessed by Jarrett's playing for many years and while now I can find myself irritated by the enormous ego and its sometimes stultifying effect on his music, Vienna Concert remains for me a sublime creation which made a profound impact on me the first time I heard it. More than in any of Jarrett's other solo concerts, the capacity for waywardness is kept in check and he delivers a marvellously focused performance, synthesising styles that would seem to be irreconcilable into an inevitable whole.
just get involved into the music, and you get released. Nice record, a little scared.
Something to which one must listen and not simply hear. Excellent. It is an aural pleasure Keith Jarrett considered this to be his best recorded performance (see wikipedia), and he was right. All the complexities of his improvisation, the well of melody, the tenderness, and the diversity are here.
I have never heard a human being play music like this, much less improvise it, and I assure you that this recording will bring you hours of enjoyment and thought for years. It is a many-facet jewel to look at and see through, and hold dear. This concert, in Jarrett's own words, doesn't just throw sparks but speaks the language of the flame itself. I return to this recording often and still hear new things. It is a moment in time that will last forever. I have to agree with the other reviewers in saying that there is something mystical about this concert, beyond words, beyond any explanation, even for Jarrett. It is symmetrical, it is profound, and it speaks of an incredible journey of incredible depth.
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