ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL VOL. 1

Refering not only to the Royal Festival Hall,but generally to this most delightful period of Klaus Schulze,playing or performing within this complex style of sampler music in a concert is a very difficult tehnique and a quite risky comittment from the grand artist. And I am very proud that he suceeds to create out of this act (one normal which receives though special valences) a result of magnitude.I am serious regarding this. It takes passion and dedication, plus a perfect expression of the essence and a personalization of the creation, upon which the understanding of the audience's temperament and power to perceive is no less important.Sampler years are by definitio years of complex music,abstract essence,sound manipulating feature and context development.It takes double the ffort to add appealingness to this.And concerning a live interpretation of such a rezonance tripples everything.No,it's plain hard what he is doing and grand applauses for making things work.Schulze does not make the compromise of softening his concept just for the easy adaptability of the listeners (he doesn't even resumes on playing studio "garnished" material on stage and goes live with a new collection of music!).His genius reflects on the fact that he plays his style and expresses his artistical desire in the same way he did it before and in the same way he'll do it in further years.till the present.and till the end.Mastermind for making such things!

Now the "Royal Festival Hall" project,along with what is live from "Dresden Performance","The Dome Event" and the surreal "Das Wagner Desaster" is among the few live experiences you can get from the sampler years.Few indeed,as we are talking about five years of full composition.Even the Silver collection,abundent in albums denoting this style,contains no live performance material from the first half of the '90s.There are a good reasons to not miss the occasion of experiencing this.Strangely, it doesn't create the effect of "being live":no applauses or audience atmosphere,just Schulze music played and rendered like it would be made in a studio set,one concealed between "strong walls of silence".But from what sources I have,the material originates from several concerts in London.In the best case,the concert resulted was later developed and brought in the "clean" current shape.Now there are some voices saying that ,by this,the alcum can no longer be called "live".I once more come in conflict with that idea,as this method is one proper way of perfectioning sound and concept,enhancing the quality,raising the level."Royal Festival Hall",edited or not,remains "Royal Festival Hall"-a live album first of all.It is not definitory for the sampler years,still recommended for its presentation of class and value and for just another Schulze session of magic and desire.As the sampler years have two approach over the five years,"Royal Festival" is not matched at style with the prototypic :"Dresden",nor with the full second phase "Event",but a full expression of the early style,linked thus with "Beyond Recall".The corelation with the 1991 studio album should not be a major point of focus though.There are some subtile moments that go defined only with the "Royal Festival Hall";nothing else.This subtile spark to which Klaus Schulze resumes makes a notable difference.The album turns out beautiful,captivating and leasurely and moderate in an issue of analysis.Moments too great to be simply lost or unappreciated out of caprice.

Volume 1

Although of unitary form,I claim Vol.1 of "Royal Festival Hall" better than Vol.2.Or at least my favourite.

In the case of "Yen",it's not just the length of the creation or the more spiritual stylish name that gives it a more than proper value.It is full magnitude music,a quite remarcable restul of Schulze concept.Strong and clear.Complex and impulsive.A description of a beautiful scenery in an outlook of dynamics and composition evolution."Yen" treats several small themes or moment,but everything comes united into an expansive gesture that determinates power.A controlled power,as it's a sampler "utopia" that manages to be controlled.Open,rigurous,accurate and melodic.It's a perfect example of quality sampler music;a piece that fits very well in the context of musicscaping and construction sequencing.Un-dissmisable.

The masterpiece of Vol.1 is however "Silence and Sequencing",one true incredible gem.Here lie(s) the subtile approach(es) that scheme everything superbly.Such orchestration of the sound you rarely encounter.Marked by two major themes,alternating: a slumber whisperish-styled flow,in which the "silence" is reflected at its most efficient scale.It's an interpretation beyon succes and a significance beyond dreams and chimeras.A great contrst with "Yen",in a state of cluster manifestation.Alternating with that is a casual round of rapid movement,in which heights of sound expand once more.In many ways,un-rivalled.

Volume 1 offers an accentuation of style and a more prevalent dedication towards the precise value of the concept.Emotions derive from that.The rustling of the music reaches,first of all,the soul. (will follow in Vol.2)