Pure Orchestra
The thinking behindPure Orchestrais as follows: select 11 familiar melodies composed by New Age-related artists, arrange them for a 60-member orchestra, then hope something special happens. Alas, nothing much does. This installment from John Tesh's music factory is a decent, well-intentioned effort that may find fans among listeners drawn to symphonic renditions of pop music. Yet for anyone who holds dear the compositions addressed onPure Orchestra(Enya's "Book of Days,"Jim Brickman's "Picture This," "Marching Season" byYanni, and so on), these lightweight, soundtrack-like interpretations will probably only make you long to hear the originals. Tesh's role here is only as a producer, not a performer, though he does include two original, though uneventful, pieces of his own ("Song for Jennifer" and "Blue").Kenny G's "Havana" sounds as though its re-creation was being handled by101 Strings. Meanwhile, the interpretations of two Yanni tracks pale compared to what can be found onLive at the Acropolis, and truly affecting solo pieces such as Brickman's "Angel Eyes" and "Longing/Love" byGeorge Winstongain nothing by orchestral treatment. Sometimes it's better to leave well enough alone.--Terry Wood