Debussy: Snowflakes Are Dancing

To find all the other Tomita CDs on Amazon (there are several) you have to choose Popular Music in the popup menu and type in Tomita.

This newly remastered CD is an audiophile recording, adds Prelude To The Afternoon of a Faun (from the Firebird album), and is a very good price.

But there are six Tomita albums out of print, four of those have never been released on CD in the U.S. and most Tomita fans and collectors would love to have them all.

So in the hopes that if enough people ask for a Tomita box set it will happen, I have made a list of every classical Tomita album ever released (except the compilations).

As a person who started collecting Tomita and other electronic albums in the 70s, plus symphony orchestra versions of the classical music that Tomita used, I hope you think that I am qualified to create the following list of Tomita albums and review them as well.

Tomita's first five already have great reviews in Amazon, so I concentrated most on his last six albums.

SNOWFLAKES ARE DANCING 1974
(11 Debussy pieces)
Most say Snowflakes is Tomita's best CD. I think it is definitely in his top three.

This newly remastered CD is an audiophile recording, adds Prelude To The Afternoon of a Faun (from the Firebird album), and is a very good price.

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION 1975 (Mussorgsky)
This is definitely one of Tomita's best CDs. For this album he created some of the most unusual, high quality electronic sounds ever heard. Then he used these sounds very effectively in good orchestrations. The listening is as enjoyable as it is weird. Quite an accomplishment in itself. Unlike other synthesizer records and CDs, I have never gotten a headache listening to this or any other Tomita recording.

FIREBIRD 1976
(Stravinsky: Firebird Suite, Debussy: Prelude To The Afternoon of A Faun, Mussorgsky: Night On Bald Mountain)

Firebird is one of Tomita's best CDs. I think most of the Firebird Suite is incredible. The Round of the Princesses is beautiful. The Infernal Dance of King Kastchei is exciting, scary, and LOUD - much more so than any performance by any orchestra. The Finale is so awesome; Tomita used it at the end of both his live concert CDs.

THE PLANETS 1976 (Holst)
In the 70s people were saying this was the best electronic album ever, now most are saying it's not very good at all. I like Jupiter and Venus myself, but that's about all. For Tomita collectors, though, it is still worth owning the whole freaky thing.

KOSMOS 1978
(Star Wars Title, Space Fantasy- R. Strauss: 2001 Title, Wagner: Ride of The Valkyries and Tannhauser Overture, Honnegar: Pacific 231, Ives: Unanswered Question, Rodrigo: Aranjuez, Grieg: Solveig's Song, Dinicu-Heifetz: Hora Staccato, Bach-Tomita: The Sea Named Solaris)

Some say this is Tomita's worst CD but I think parts of Kosmos are really very good. Carl Sagan used The Sea Named Solaris in his "Cosmos." Most Tomita fans and collectors should enjoy at least half of this CD enough to want to buy it and keep it.

THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE 1979 - A Musical Fantasy of Science Fiction (Sibelius: Valse Triste, Williams: Close Encounters, Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, Scythian Suite, Symphonies 5 and 6, Violin Concerto 1)

The Bermuda Triangle is my all time favorite electronic CD by far. Unfortunately, the U.S. CD releases stopped with Kosmos. This is definitely way better than Kosmos. I could type two pages on why I like The Bermuda Triangle so much, but mostly it's the orchestrations and performances of the music itself and how it all fits together to tell a story that is part thrilling science fiction and part impressionistic dream. Incredible! The sounds Tomita used in creating this album are as innovative and high quality as Pictures At An Exhibition or more. The sound itself is bright, full, deep, and clear. The whole experience is extraordinary. The whole album is most enjoyable from beginning to end. I am so grateful that I found the CD. (Two tracks from this album are on Tomita's Greatest Hits CD.)

BOLERO 1980
(Ravel: Daphnis and Chloe, Pavane for A Dead Princess, Bolero, Mother Goose Suite)

Very, very good album. Much better than four other Tomita albums. But never on CD in the U.S. which is really too bad because it does contain the best performances of The Mother Goose Suite and Pavane For A Dead Princess that I have ever heard, by far. And there are only two Daphnis and Chloes that I like better than this one. (Since Daphnis and Chloe is one of my favorites I have heard a number of them.) Bolero (not the best track on this album) is on the Greatest Hits CD.

THE GRAND CANYON 1982 (Grofe)
(Bonus track: Syncopated Clock by Leroy Anderson)

Most music critics would say that this performance of The Grand Canyon Suite is not as good as a symphony orchestra's. But it is definitely far more colorful, magical, and entertaining than any symphony orchestra version I have ever heard. The Sunrise is extra pretty. The Painted Desert makes you feel like you are flying low over vast mysterious, enchanted, moonlit sands. On The Trail is a lot of fun. And The Thunderstorm is exhilarating and even a little frightening, especially when turned up loud. (You can actually hear the lightning, feel the thunder, and then see a rainbow at the end. Only Tomita could do that!) As far as I know, this album has never been on CD anywhere. Although two tracks from it are on the Tomita's Greatest Hits CD. This is the shortest Tomita album. It would fit on a CD with Canon of The Three Stars.

CANON OF THE THREE STARS 1984
(Pachelbel: Canon, Rachmaninoff: Vocalise, Albinoni: Adagio, Bach: Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, 4 pieces from Villa Lobos: Bachianis Brasileiras 2, 4, and 7)

Sweet is the word I would use to describe pretty much this whole album. Some tracks are even cute. Although at least one is solemn and another poignant. It almost seems that Tomita did this one in his sleep, but some tracks are very good and since all the tracks are individual pieces it would definitely be worth owning as a reference CD. This and the Grand Canyon are the only two Tomita albums that I have never found on CD from any country. Although the Pachelbel Canon is on the Pachelbel's Greatest Hit CD and the Tomita's Greatest Hits CD.

LIVE AT LINZ, AUSTRIA 1985 - THE MIND OF THE UNIVERSE
(Live concert with huge speakers on both sides of the Danube River and live soloists. Includes 7 pieces from previous albums- some with new arrangements and live soloists- plus Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Japanese Traditional: Cranes In Their Nest, Vaughn Williams: The Lark Ascending, Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde-Liebestod, Beethoven: Ode To Joy with full Choir and soloists)

This is definitely one of Tomita's top five albums. If you like Tomita you must find this CD used. It was available in the U.S. It is quite an experience. It contains some of the most beautiful and unique quality performances ever put on a disk. The live violin solo (not Tomita) on the Lark Ascending is by far the most captivating, lovely, and perfect I have ever heard. Of the two concert CDs, this one has a slightly darker feel with much more awe-inspiring moments, and is generally deeper. It is also the longest Tomita album ever made. Which is perfect, since it is so good.

LIVE IN NEW YORK 1988 - BACK TO THE EARTH
(Live concert with live soloists. Includes 7 pieces from previous albums- some with new arrangements and live soloists- plus Dukas: Fanfare, Mahler: Symphony 3 in D Minor - 5th Movement, Traditional: Chinese War Lord Going Home, Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, Fisher-Dvorak: Goin' Home)

This CD is very close to being as good as the Live At Linz concert (above). Even though it's not quite as good, it is still in the top five of Tomita's albums and it does have a very endearing quality and is a little less demanding than Live At Linz, which makes it more suited for playing a little more often in the background. It was also available in the U.S. You should be able to find it used.

These last two CDs are my all time favorite live concert albums by far.

IN CONCLUSION
Other reviewers on Amazon have done a far more eloquent job than I of describing Tomita's amazing musical style. I hope this list conveys my sincere and heartfelt effort to get every Tomita album into a big box set of CDs some day soon. Thank you for taking the time to read it.

1st Arabesque is a piece in very joyfully mood and good sense of humour.