Klaus Schulze - Ballett 2 (CD)

All Music Guide

Like the other three Ballett albums, Ballett 2 was first released in 2000 as part of the 10CD box set Contemporary Works 1 and later reissued as a single CD in Revisited's careerencompassing reissue program (number 87 in that series). Klaus Schulze composed the Ballett cycle for his mother, who used to be a ballet dancer. Ballett 2 is a continuous, 74minute piece in four seguing movements. "Atmosphère Concrète" starts us off in a disquieting and rather abstract mood. Schulze has never been known for doing musique concrete his first solo LP, Irrlicht, was definitely abstract, and he often pushed his music into experimental territories, but he never openly delved into Pierre Schaeffer's heritage and lineage. However, "Atmosphère Concrète" (8 minutes) does, indeed, evoke a concrete atmosphere, with lots of textural sounds, found sounds, and the voice and flute of Thomas Kagermann. The piece eventually resolves on the theme of "Kagi's Lament," a slowpaced, introspective dirge. The arpeggi...ated keyboard arrangements give the piece a certain JeanMichel Jarre feel. The "lament" mood is marvelously pinned down and there is no denying the piece's sorrowful beauty, but it runs out of ideas long before it reaches its 30minute mark. The same is also true of "Wolf's Ponticelli" (24 minutes). Here, though, the electronics are classic Schulze. Wolfgang Tiepold's cello interventions, along with the scope, breadth and development of the piece, all point to the mastermind's main ‘70s opuses. This piece also picks up the pace, leading to the final part, "The Smile of Shadows," where the pulse turns into a trance beat, bringing us back into the late ‘90s, with Kagermann's bamboo flute adding a World Beat element. This last section was mixed by Tom Dams and it bears his mark. The Revisited reissue adds a short bonus track, "Trance 4 Motion," first released on Essential Extracts, a littleknown CD produced to promote the Contemporary Works 1 box set. It provides a nice postlude to "The Smile of Shadows," matching its beat and "chill room" feel. - François Couture, All Music Guide Read more Less