Kryptos
Kryptos, Andreas Vollenweider has stated, is a Greek word meaning "the encoded" or "hidden." Those would be fitting terms to describe the intent behind this ambitious, meandering symphonic production. Not entirely a classical recording, far afield from the Swiss harpist's pop-inclined bestsellers of the 1980s,Kryptoscomes across as a culture-hopping soundtrack for a one-world vision that is screening in Vollenweider's imagination. His approach, tinged with numerous Asian flourishes, yields some interesting moments--the vibrant global jam of pennywhistle, harp, voices, and orchestra in "Under the Tree of Hope"; the murmurings ofLadysmith Black Mambazoin "Bhambororo"; the gates-of-heaven mood pieces that open and close the disc; the anthemic, three-part "Trigon," which features saxophonistMichael Breckerand brings to mind the curtain-closing spectacle ofSupertramp's "Fool's Overture." Yet the disc also has a few dead spots (go-nowhere pieces such as "Passionata" and "Quendel and Rhomas"), and offers less cohesion than some listeners might prefer. Uneven, but intriguing; worth examining if you're an open-minded Vollenweider fan.--Terry Wood