All My CDs, pt 69 - Volume One

Here's a review that is very likely to be biased, and it will not be the last. Actually, I am biased in all of these reviews, since with few exceptions they are albums I chose to keep in my collection, which probably makes my reviews significantly more positive than if I were a real music reviewer who knew what she was doing. But some of these are albums I own because I have some connection to the musician, which makes the bias especially pronounced.

However, I have good reason to believe that there's some truth to my bias in this case. So, add salt to taste.

Volume One - The Lakewood Project

The Lakewood Project is Lakewood High School's rock orchestra. It started around the time I started attending the school, and although it has the support and funding of the school district and music program, my understanding is that it mostly exists due to the initiative and enthusiasm of the students who founded it, practicing on their own time and without class credit, arranging most of the pieces themselves. As a rock orchestra, they merge the genres of classical and rock, thus setting themselves apart from both and spawning a new and refreshing creature. Half their songs are rock hits retooled for orchestral instruments, and the other half are well-known classical pieces played with a more contemporary style. Their lineup features an acoustic string section, a cadre of electric violins and cellos, a few electric guitars, synthesizer and a drum kit. The effect is quite stunning to see.

This is one of a few CDs they have recorded, although I know them mostly from the free annual concerts they play at the local Independence Day celebrations.

My salient impression is that the Lakewood Project is much more enjoyable when heard live, preferably in the open air at Lakewood Park. But the CD provides a great reminder of that experience, and probably a fair introduction for those who might not understand just what a rock orchestra is.

My favorite track at the moment is a jazzy rendition of the iconic first movement of Beethoven's Fifth. I am not sure how much of its appeal is due to the humor invoked by the juxtaposition of the highly-recognizable string refrain with swinging beats and a synthesizer solo. I do know that I enjoyed listening to it long after that particular novelty wore off.

The CD contains several other recognizable classical mainstays, from Mozart to Tchaikovsky, along with a wide variety of popular rock songs. It opens with The Who's Who Are You, played rather straightforwardly with vocals replaced by strings (surprisingly preserving much of the emotive expression in the original version).

I found other rock songs on the album less compelling, such as Sounds of Silence and Let it Be, which I feel lose much of their impact without their poetic lyrics. But even these fare quite well in adaptation, due to the emotive potency of bowed strings.

I don't listen to this CD very often, since I have frequent opportunities to hear the ensemble perform live. But I'm glad to own it anyway and have this opportunity to revisit some of those performances.

Next: The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Special Orchestra CD