Okhotsk Fantasy

This is a lesser release from Tomita, and a disappointment after the "Ultimate Editions." If you area completist, the title track is a delightful, if brief addition to his space music era and to his original compositions. In some ways, it covers the same emotional territory as the "Symphony Ihatov"--a sort of idyllic journey from earth to space and back in a mystical train.After that is the lesser part of "The Ravel Album"/"Bolero." In the "Pavane for a Dead Princess" and "Mother Goose Suite" with the Ultimate Editions, he has made some subtle but nice improvements to the voicings and the spacing of the original.The final track, "Night on the Milky Way Train," is a disappointment. It's an early work, in monophonic sound. In it you can hear some sketches for what would be later, greater works, but it comes across, by comparison with the other works on this disc, as finger exercises. If you have to have absolutely everything from the late great synthesizer master, then pick this up. Otherwise, this disc is easily skipped.I can only hope that this is not the last disc we will see. Hopefully he had already prepared the Firebird and Daphnis and Chloe for Ultimate Edition release and Denon will release them, along with some sort of recording of Dr. Coppelius. It would be a shame for his recording legacy to end on this note.

... The entire Quadraphonic DAPHNIS AND CHLOE / RAVEL / BOLERO Album is on a VOCALION Hybrid SACD in ultra clean, discrete 4.1 channel Surround Sound!! And will play in Stereo on any player!! For more information on that and all of Tomita's CLASSICAL CDs and SACDs, please see below...November 2020 ~ Major Update with new improvements!CLASSICAL TOMITA GUIDE with REVIEWSIn TOMITA's music I have found serene beauty, relaxation, landscapes of wonder, mysterious spaces, thrilling excitement, fascinating dimensions, inspiration, and some fun. The music he creates is more natural, mellow, and rich; with more depth, color, imagery, feeling, and thought than any other synthesized music I have ever heard. He makes classical music come alive, with never before seen, heard, or felt images and sounds.As a person who began collecting TOMITA and other electronic music when I was 18, plus original symphony orchestra recordings of the classical music that TOMITA used, I hope you consider me qualified to create the following list of TOMITA albums and review them as well. Thank you all for the votes.NEW SACDs!!I am pleased to announce there are now TEN Quadraphonic Tomita albums sounding truly amazing on SACD. (Few SACDs sound this good.) The best of the Classical SACDs are, by far: CLAIR DE LUNE, PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, and THE PLANETS ULTIMATE EDITIONS on Nippon Columbia... Plus FIREBIRD and DAPHNIS ET CHLOE on Vocalion.ALL of the SACDs have exceptionally clean, warm, smooth, sound quality with no distortion and discrete 4-channel sound.* * * * * * * *MUSIC REVIEWS andSOUND QUALITY COMPARISON GUIDE... WITH RECOMMENDATIONSHOW I COMPARED THE SOUND QUALITY OF VARIOUS CD RELEASESListening with Beyerdynamic DT990 Studio Headphones plugged into my Mac Pro, I played tracks from each pair of CDs using QuickTime Player 7 opened in two windows, and a keyboard command to switch back and forth (many times) for the comparisons.* * *SNOWFLAKES ARE DANCING 1974 (11 Debussy pieces)I love the range of styles in this album, the relaxing beauty, the depth of colors. The Snowflakes album is very enjoyable; one of the few CDs that I listen to again and again.CLAIR DE LUNE – ULTIMATE EDITION 2012 [SACD - DSD 4.1 Surround] YES!Finally, True Quadraphonic for the first time ever for some of us! Extraordinary Discrete 4-Channel Sound on my surround system. Ultra clean, pure and bright with deep bass.And it is superb. This SACD adds the never before released “Second Arabesque” (delightful fun), “Whistle and Chime (The Art of Sound Creation)”, and “Nauges.” This QUADRAPHONIC SACD is a completely new experience. Several of the original tracks feature new mixes by Mr. TOMITA. “Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun” is missing (but you can now find it on the 2019 Vocalion FIREBIRD SACD!)[2000 High Performance Audiophile 24bit / 96KHz Super CD] YES!This ONE TOMITA CD was mastered at 24bit / 96KHz for truly superior sound on ANY CD Player. It is very bright and clean with smooth highs, deep bass, no distortion.[2006 CD from Box Set, 1986, 1991, 2004, or 2007 Japan CD] NOMore tape hiss. Less bright. A little distortion.[Dolby Surround CD] NOThe Surround Sound does not work on it.* * *PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION 1975 (Mussorgsky)For this album, TOMITA created some of the most unusual, high quality electronic sounds ever heard. Then he used these sounds very effectively in some amazing orchestrations. The listening is as enjoyable as it is bizarre, quite an accomplishment in itself. (Unlike other synthesized music, I have never gotten a headache listening to this or any other TOMITA recording. Not even close. Not even when playing his music loud, which I love to do.)PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION - ULTIMATE EDITION 2014[SACD - DSD 4.1 Surround] YES!(Moussorgsky: PICTURES. Rimsky-Korsakov: SCHEHERAZADE- excerpt of Part I. Bach-TOMITA: Sea Named Solaris- excerpt).Finally! For the first time for some of us, PICTURES in True Quadraphonic Sound. And it is spectacular!! After waiting decades to hear this album in 4-Channel Sound, the “Ballet of The Chicks in Their Shells” and “The Great Gate at Kiev” are stunning. And of course, the DSD tracks are very clean and pure with deep bass.[2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YESBrighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and a little less distortion than previous releases.[1991 Dolby Surround CD] NO!The rear channels have never worked on it. Sounds fade to nothing when trying to move to the rear channel no matter what you play it on.* * *FIREBIRD 1976 (various)(Stravinsky: FIREBIRD SUITE. Debussy: “Prelude To The Afternoon of A Faun.” Mussorgsky: “Night On Bare Mountain.”)FIREBIRD is one of TOMITA's best albums. “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 played it at the end of his live concerts.[2019 Quadraphonic Vocalion SACD] YES!Quadraphonic Mix of complete FIREBIRD album.Remastered from the original analogue tapes by Michael J. Dutton in Austria.[2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YESBrighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and a little less distortion than previous releases.[1991 Dolby Surround CD Dolby 5.1] (Yes, but get the Vocalion if you can)The 4-Channel separation is not extremely discreet, but the 5.1 Surround Sound is pretty good.* * *THE PLANETS 1976 (Holst)A completely different mood for TOMITA, and he did a fantastic job on it. Each time I hear any part of THE PLANETS performed by Symphony Orchestra, it sounds very two-dimensional and just falls flat compared to TOMITA’s. It’s as if Holst composed THE PLANETS for TOMITA, even though the Holst family would not allow this album to be released in England. They didn’t like that Uranus and Neptune were abridged, but the blending and poignant ending are pure genius, even more so in the new SACD...THE PLANETS - ULTIMATE EDITION 2011 [SACD - DSD 4.1 Surround] YES!This New QUADRAPHONIC PLANETS album on SACD has a nice long new Introduction with Control Room, Spaceship Interior, Pre-Launch Communications, and beginning of Mars that knocked my socks off! There’s even a brand new track called “Itokawa and Hayabusa” about the exploration of the Asteroid Belt between Jupiter and Saturn. The whole new PLANETS album is just astounding. The Discrete 4-Channel Sound is phenomenal. Truly the best sound quality I have ever heard on any disc. I couldn’t have been more surprised, amazed, and delighted.Finally! True Quadraphonic for the first time ever for some of us! Extraordinary Discrete 4-Channel separation on my surround system. Ultra clean, pure and bright with deep bass. The cleanest of the SACDs![2016 & 2012 blu-spec CD2, 2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YESBrighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and less distortion than previous releases.* * *KOSMOS or COSMOS 1978 (various)(“Star Wars” Title. “Space Fantasy” - R. Strauss: “Thus Spake Zarathustra,” 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.”)A Science Fiction album without a theme, and quite a variety of experiences...In this album: “Star Wars” is cute. The “Space Fantasy” awesome and exhilarating. “Pacific 231” exciting and fun - a quality piece. You can see and feel the mechanical motions of the locomotive flying through space after the train speeds up, leaves the tracks and goes to another dimension... TOMITA's interpretation of the mystery and solitude of “The Unanswered Question” is far better than any orchestral performance. “Hora Staccato” is fun. And Carl Sagan respected the amazing “Sea Named Solaris” so much, that he used it in his COSMOS. Any TOMITA fan or collector should enjoy most of this CD.[1991 Dolby Surround CD] YES!Note: This is the ONLY Tomita CD that has the best Surround sound on the RCA Dolby Surround release. The 4-Channel separation is not extremely discrete, but all 5.1 Channels are used. This One TOMITA CD sounded best after manually choosing Dolby Pro Logic II. Also, it is brighter and cleaner with better full range than the CD in the Box Set. And, the entire album is there.SPACE FANTASY 2015 [SACD DSD 4.1 Surround Hybrid] OptionalTomita was 83 when he re-arranged and re-mixed his KOSMOS album for SACD. I think it’s remarkable that he was still working, but I feel I must reluctantly share why you may want to skip this one...1. No “Thus Spake Zarathustra” (the 2001 Movie Theme) which worked so well at the beginning of his “Space Fantasy” track on KOSMOS.2. No “Sea Named Solaris” because 5:19 of the original 12:26 was on The PICTURES SACD.3. Over the years, Tomita almost recorded all of the music from Walt Disney’s FANTASIA. And on CD 2 we have some never before heard tracks from the film, but with only one part from THE PASTORAL SYMPHONY, three parts from THE NUTRACKER SUITE, and no “Dance Of The Hours” or RITE OF SPRING... The whole CD is only 22:05 long.4. The “Waltz of The Flowers” fades abruptly a full minute before it’s done.[2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] NOMore tape hiss and a little sharp with too much midrange.* * *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.”)After nearly 30 years of listening to THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE off and on, I have decided that it is My All Time Favorite Album In Any Genre.It’s too bad the U.S. releases stopped with KOSMOS. THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE is much better than KOSMOS. I could type pages on THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, and you can find many pages on various websites. But I will just say that the orchestrations and performances of the music itself all fit together masterfully to tell a story that is part thrilling Science Fiction and part Impressionistic Dream. I especially like the second half – the exceptional, exciting Prokofiev music. The sounds TOMITA created for this album are his most sophisticated and fascinating yet. The quality of the recording is bright, full, deep, clear, and clean. The whole experience is extraordinary. I am so grateful the album is on CD.Another reviewer is absolutely right... “Turn off the lights, put the phone on silent, turn the volume way up, and sit down and listen!” Really listen!! Because THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE is an Experience: A Phenomenal, Powerful, Enlightening, Enjoyable Experience!![2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YES!Brighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and a little less distortion than previous releases.* * *DAPHNIS AND CHLOE or BOLERO or “THE RAVEL ALBUM” 1980(Ravel: DAPHNIS AND CHLOE, “Pavane for A Dead Princess,” “Bolero,” MOTHER GOOSE SUITE.)This is a very good album with the best performance of THE MOTHER GOOSE SUITE that I have heard, by far. I love the range of musical styles. You can actually hear the fairies in the “Fairy Garden” (they sound like hummingbirds). Plus, this DAPHNIS AND CHLOE is better than some orchestral performances.[2019 Quadraphonic Vocalion SACD] YES!Quadraphonic Mix of complete DAPHNIS AND CHLOE album.Remastered from the original analogue tapes by Michael J. Dutton in Austria.OKHOTSK FANTASY 2016 [SACD DSD 4.1 Surround Hybrid] OptionalMany of us Tomita fans wondered why he put a mono recording of an old cartoon on the OKHOTSK FANTASY album, instead of DAPHNIS AND CHLOE... Now it is clear, the OKHOTSK FANTASY album was his last. It was released in March 2016, he passed away two months later, and he was trying to finish an original composition at the same time. Knowing this, we can wish that he had started putting his Quadraphonic albums on SACD sooner, but we can’t blame him for the last two SACDs, because he was 83 and 84 when he did them.[2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YESBrighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and a little less distortion than previous releases.* * *THE GRAND CANYON 1982 (Grofe)(Bonus track: “Syncopated Clock” by Leroy Anderson is not on the Japan Import CD.)The average music critic might say this performance of this GRAND CANYON is not as good as a symphony orchestra. But it is worth checking out, as parts of it are far more colorful, magical, and entertaining than any symphony orchestra I ever heard doing the suite. TOMITA's “Painted Desert” gives a feeling of flying low over vast mysterious, enchanted, moonlit sands. “On The Trail” is a lot of fun, although some orchestra performances may be a bit better. 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!![2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YESBrighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and a little less distortion than previous releases.* * *CANON OF THE THREE STARS or DAWN CHORUS 1984 (various)(Pachelbel: “Canon.” Rachmaninoff: “Vocalise.” Albinoni: “Adagio.” Bach: “Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring.” Three movements from Villa Lobos: BACHIANAS BRASILEIRAS Suites 2, 4, & 7.)This album could be described as “sweet”. Some tracks are even cute, although at least one is solemn and another poignant. The quality of this album is less than his early albums. It almost seems that TOMITA did this one in his sleep, but some of the pieces are very good, and is worth owning.[2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YESBrighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and a little less distortion than previous releases.* * *LIVE AT LINZ, AUSTRIA 1984 - THE MIND OF THE UNIVERSE (various)(Live concert with huge speakers on both sides of the Danube River. Includes 7 pieces from previous albums- some with new arrangements and Live Soloists. Plus 5 new pieces... Stravinsky: “Dance of the Young Girls” from 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.)In my opinion, this is in TOMITA's top five best albums. It contains some of the most beautiful and unique performances ever put on a disk. The live violin solo (Mariko Senju) of “The Lark Ascending” at least equals the best performance I ever heard. The same violinist does an outstanding job on Prokofiev's VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1” - the part of THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE near the end that gets so exciting, and with the live violinist and TOMITA's magical orchestral creations, it is truly one of the most thrilling musical experiences I have ever enjoyed.I also enjoy the Wagner: TRISTAN UND ISOLDE – “Liebestod” (which first appeared on this album). With so much depth and feeling, it is hard to describe how lovely it is. This album also has an extended version of “Cranes In Their Nest” (because it was on the Voyager Interstellar Record) a very good performance by Goro Yamaguchi on the Shakuhachi (a Japanese end-blown flute made of bamboo).Of the two concert CDs, this one has more awe-inspiring moments, and more depth. It is also the longest TOMITA album ever made, which is nice, since it is so enjoyable.Note on Recording QualityI think that since MIND OF THE UNIVERSE was a live concert with speakers on both sides of the Danube River, a helicopter carrying a speaker above for a UFO effect, and a huge choir on a boat ... there is no way the sound quality could have been perfect. Even though I am particular about sound quality, I do enjoy this CD. And when I play my old 1985 Domestic Release CD (made in Japan with a black cover) loud, it sounds great to me. The most important parts are clean. There is reverb at times, but it is natural, bouncing off things in the area. The oddities that occur make one FEEL they are at the Live Concert.This is the only TOMITA CD that got THREE completely different releases long ago...THE BEST ONE IS THE LEAST EXPENSIVE [RCA Records RCD1-5461] YES![1985 U.S. CD Made In Japan] (70:31) Black front and back.Starts with “Also Sprach Zarathustra.” Has “Saturn” and “Mars.” Very clean and bright. Sound quality almost exactly the same as 1991 Japan Import. But make sure you get exactly this one with this number: RCD1-5461.UNUSUAL, EXPENSIVE ALTERNATIVE [BMG Japan BVCC 2512] NO[1991 Japan CD. Gold front. Pink back.]Starts with “Unanswered Question” and announcements in Austrian.No “Mars” or “Saturn.”EXCESSIVE TAPE HISS [BMG Japan BVCC 37514] NO[2006 Japan CD. Gold front and back AND the CD in the Box Set] (70:13)Starts with “Also Sprach Zarathustra.” Has “Saturn and Mars.” Dull music and Tape Hiss all the way through, as if mastered from a cassette… With identical content, this 2006 Import and the CD in the Box Set are both 18 seconds shorter than the 1985 U.S. release, supporting the theory that this release was mastered from a cassette.* * *LIVE IN NEW YORK 1988 - BACK TO THE EARTH (various)(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.”)LIVE IN NY is almost as good as the LIVE AT LINZ concert (above). Parts of it are great. And the music is less demanding than LIVE AT LINZ, which makes it more suited for playing in the background.[2006 CD in Box Set, 2004 & 2007 JVC K2 Japan CD] YESBrighter, warmer, more powerful, with more Stereo Separation and less distortion than previous releases.These last two CDs are my all time favorite live concert albums.* * *BACH FANTASY 1996 (J.S. Bach) YES10 separate Bach pieces, which include only two tracks from previous albums, and part of “The Sea Named Solaris” is mixed different.Too bad this is hard to find and was not included in the big Box Set, but you can sometimes find it used on Amazon Japan, and G..... Chrome translates automatically, then with a little perseverance, you can figure out how to order from a seller who ships internationally.This CD features a wide variety of new sounds, moods, and musical styles for TOMITA Classical. Several of the tracks are most enjoyable. The popular “Toccata and Fugue” is a very good, virtuoso straight performance on very cool sounding Synthesized Organ (which I normally would not appreciate, but TOMITA gets away with it). My subwoofer liked it too!There was only one Bach Fantasy release, and it is sparkling clean, bright, and deep.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *SACD NOTEThe SACDs say DSD 4.0 on the cover, but they show DSD 5.1 when playing, and they DO use the Subwoofer, but NOT the Front Center Speaker, so they are actually 4.1, and that is perfect. (I just double-checked, that is true.)* * * * * * * *IN CONCLUSIONOther reviewers on Amazon have done a more eloquent job than I of describing TOMITA's amazing musical style, but I have enjoyed creating this guide. I hope you enjoyed it too.I’m flattered that this was copied and pasted to so many websites, but I would like You to know that I AM the original author. Check the dates of my first postings, which began in March 2002. Thank You so much.And THANK YOU MR. TOMITA!There is no collection of music I enjoy more. Not even close.Jeff Nielson, Modesto, CA