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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Too much of a departure, 9 Oct 2003
If one thing is certain in life, it's that humans dislike change - but this latest offering from Karl Jenkins has twisted the original concept of Adiemus to breaking point.
The first album was incredibly good, the second developed those ideas further and became the pinnacle of Adiemus perfection (which appears increasingly likely will never be bettered). The third album was more light-hearted and playful, but lacked the impact of the first two. The fourth worked for the most part, as it was stronger overall, despite a woeful lack of original Jenkins material. This fifth incarnation, however, sees the project running out of steam, and leaves you wondering if this is an Adiemus album too far.
It's possibly the most uncohesive collection of ideas seen so far in the series, and unfortunately suffers from several problems.
The strongest aspect of the Adiemus project up until now has, without a doubt, been the stunning vocal talent of Miriam Stockley, her voice defining the unique Adiemus sound which became impossible to pigeonhole. However, Miriam felt that she had 'outgrown' the project and has moved on to further develop her solo career. This is heart-achingly obvious from the outset. The Finnish singers trying to fill the humungous void left by her departure simply have nowhere near the talent, depth, richness, range or emotional resonance and leave you feeling completely unconviced.
The second problem is that Karl, in experimenting with so many different ideas (musical styles, time signatures, instrumentation, vocalists etc) doesn't really deliver anything of note here. Even utilising other composer's works as a basis for many tracks, the whole experience still feels uninspired.
The album is a messy canvas filled with doodles and smudges from a palette of too many colours.
From light-hearted jigs to subtle classical strings; from dinner jazz to modern dance; classical orchestra, big-band brass, harmonica, saxophone, guitar, woodwind, a meleé of different languages - it's all just too overwhelming, and a far cry from the hauntingly invocative and majestically powerful Adiemus that has made Karl's name thusfar.
This is an album which, while ocassionally interesting at times, just isn't comfortable under the Adiemus banner and only truly hardcore fans need apply.
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic CD!!!, 4 Nov 2003
I was so pleasantly surprised when I heard Adiemus 5 for the first time. It is certainly a fresh experience and although it is different from the other 4 albums, I think the change in direction should be welcomed rather than looked down on because change shows having the courage to develop rather than stick to a winning formula.
The one thing that impressed me the most was the extraordinary soloists Jenkins chose which certainly raised the overall level of the CD to a very high standard. My favorite track is Aria played by cellist Richard Harwood whoose warm tone and deep sensitivity made this track stand out from the others. The jazz tracks were also fantastic with Nigel Hitchcock on saxophone. His solo in Exit Schwanda was really convincing.
I strongly recommend this CD.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great solos!, 1 Nov 2003
This latest Adiemus release contains a diverse mix of different genres and styles which have been cast under the Adiemus spell. To me, the Adiemus touch is certainly audible on all tracks to varying degrees of success and it should be commended that Karl Jenkins has the desire and is brave enough to develop 'his' style further.
The most apparent success on this disc is the sheer quality of the soloists Karl Jenkins has chosen for this project. The jazz saxophone and guitar solos of Nigel Hitchcock and Martin Taylor are stunning particularly in 'Dona Nobis Pacem Part II'. Classical solos come from the cellist Richard Harwood who delivers a gorgeous solo in 'Aria'. Terry Barber, the countertenor also features on this track. Although he will surely satisfy some listeners, I feel he falls a bit short of the mark in the title track 'Vocalise'. It's an extremely effective track but could have worked so much better if there had been more accurate and musical singing.
I'm sure tracks like 'Rondo' and 'Allegrettango' will prove popular with regular audiences. However, I'm sure classical purists will dislike these because as pleasant to the ear as they are, they originally were masterpieces by Beethoven. This disc certainly falls into the easy listening category and is worth a listen, not least for the great solos!
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