Instrumental New Age Review: Michael Kollwitz-Serenity

Release Date: September 1, 2017

Label: Independent

Website

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Michael Kollwitz has a large body of work that includes 21 recordings. This collection of gorgeous sounds is his first journey into the age of new age music. It is aptly titled Serenity.

Michael’s artistry comes in the form of sound waves, vibrations and beauty with the Chapman Stick. It is a very unique and mesmerizing instrument to say the least. I have associated it mostly with Tony Levin over the years and now I can add another master to list.

Michael had the great fortune of being tutored by the creator of the stick Emmett Chapman. What a blessing that was for us all. Now to hear the result of 40 years of hard work is just an amazing musical trip. 

I have to say I have never heard the stick played like this. It truly is amazing. It’s like listening to a guitar and bass at the same time. He definitely has perfected the virtuoso abilities of his chosen tool. Actually, the artist likes to call it the piano and guitar playing together. If you listen you can hear that similarity. The give and take of one instrument answering the call of another. I am not quite sure how his fingers accomplish all of the amazing sounds you hear on Serenity. I can tell you one thing, it is the only instrument he needed to record this sublime group of tracks.

The sounds resonant from the tip of your toes, to your heart, then to the mind. The triangle of mind, body and spirit surely find Serenity through these 14 tracks.

With the all of insanity of this world going on around us in these times, we must have refuge. We all need a place to unwind, center and gather our strength for a new day. With the music of Michael Kollwitz you become engaged and surrounded by the beauty of the sound. It will pull you in without effort and before you know it you it you will have reached a higher consciousness with a smile on your face. I can already see you smiling now! This is a must have for any lover of the guitar, bass or any stringed instrument for that matter, don’t miss it.

5/5 Stars

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

October 4, 2017

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Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews

Tracks: 
01. Mountain Sanctuary
02. Mystic Vista
03. Greatest Possible Gift
04. The Four Pillars
05. A New Life
06. Best of Everything
07. Joyful Reunion
08. Simple Pleasures
09. Warm Lasting Embrace
10. Never Alone Again
11. Quiet Full Moon
12. Higher Power
13. The Seven Canyons
14. No Hurry No Worry
 

New Age Instrumental Review: Michael Hoppé and Harold Moses-Serenity

Release Date: May 13, 2014

Label: Spring Hill Music
Michael Hoppe Website

Harold Moses Website 

Michael Hoppé is a talented composer, artist and musician. A Grammy nominee, his work has been heard on television series (The Sopranos and more) and is regarded highly by Jane Goodall, Sarah Breathnach (Simple Abundance) and Robert Cooper (Emotional Intelligence) among others. His work has earned him several platinum and gold records and Hoppé is also the founder of InterConnection Resources and a senior executive for PolyGram, securing such talents as The Who and ABBA in his long and distinguished career.

Harold Moses is an educator, composer, master violist, harmonic theorist, recording artist and works for Harmonic Research and Design specializing in vibrational health and wellness devices. 

In Serenity Harold Moses performs on the viola and Michael Hoppé delights us on the keyboards. Each piece is recorded in one sitting, letting each artist wind around the other in perfect symmetry. Each track is matched to a month in the year, each a reflection on the essence of each month. The first track is “Serenity I” and with fragile and elegant musings, the strings and keys come to flagrant life. Poignant and effervescent this piece will stir your soul. Having never encountered a Michael Hoppé album previously (living in a cave I think) my ears sighed and my heart just smiled. This is how music should be. It is the epitome of relaxation. If anyone has ever thought of the humorous but heartfelt phrase, “serenity now” you need to check out this album. It is just that. 

March swings in with wild tumultuous vigor in “Serenity III,” like a breath of storm on the horizon, waiting to pelt you with shivering rain. The tension is palpable and the feelings evoked, raw. Longing and bliss at the vibrant heart of this piece pulse and throb for a romp through windswept fields, weather whipping your hair about your face in a frenzy of activity. Joy in the act of living, even as the rain stings your skin in its veracity.

“Serenity X” has to be my favorite on the album. The scent of autumn crisp in your nostrils as October sets in. Burnt Orange and blustery winds lead you into the colder seasons of the year. Oh so brief, but so powerful.

December greets us in “Serenity XII” with an almost “Taps” finality. The year is winding to a close and the soulful fragile moments sprung from the echoing viola and keyboard call forth memories and thoughts of faith and family. Edgy and at the precipice of new beginnings, this piece leads right into the New Year with “Serenity XIII” a delicate and touching piece that is exquisite in its beauty and serene in its majesty. Beauty in the fresh breath of a new start, this piece winds up the album with a bittersweet and haunting melody that will make your finger itch to hit the replay button.

Michael Hoppé and Harold Moses have created something here that goes beyond words. These thirteen improvisations are truly masterful and each is paired with its own haiku by Brett Brady. If you could reach into the heavens and pluck down a ray of the essence of life, love and the reflections of what it means to be human and alive then here you have it. Tender and evocative, these two artists and composers set about to craft an album in one sitting and they did just that. Five stars all the way and I am forever a fan girl. Serenity Now. Seriously. You can’t feel any other way when you listen to this masterpiece. It is quite simply, bliss.

5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Serenity I, Serenity III, Serenity X, Serenity XI, Serenity XIII

DanaWright, Sr. Staff Writer

November 30, 2014

Review Provided By New Age Music Reviews