Disco de Cirque du Soleil: “Collection”

I bought this CD just last night. When I was little, I remember seeing Le Cirque Reinvente on television. I loved it so - the music, the performances - but I didn't know it's name, what it was called. I forgot about it for a time, seeing snippets of it whenever I just barely caught the end credits while surfing the channels. Forgot about it again and then the yearning to hear that distant yet familiar music came back and I did some research, finally discovering what the show was after so many years: Cirque du Soleil! The rest is history - I got hooked instantly and this is my first CD of the music. I wanted to know what the music was like before I bought it so I listened to sound samples from Amazon of the CDs and then decided to buy Collection at my music store. I listened to it last night, am listening to it now as I write this and here are my detailed impressions... You put the CD in and relax... The first sounds are those of a solitary basoon over " Ouveture " from the excellent "Le Cirque Reinvente." The drums pick up and it turns into a majestic melody of strength, dignity, and lingering of what's to come; it gave me spine tingles the moment I heard it! " Egypte " begins, seducingly quiet and calm and working into the delvement of the Egyptian gods and goddesses that rule this mysterious ancient land. The main voice could be a goddess herself, her voice is sweet and clear as she sings the primary lyrics of the song coyly, sure of herself, gently.

"Kumbalawe" is very pretty, carefree and reminded me strangely of 'haps a family of lions relaxing in the grassy savannah awaiting sleep to overtake them underneath the midday sun. It was a very good piece but one though I didn't particularily care for though you might be a different case altogether. "Suite Chinoise" starts as if a theme for royalty and if that was Dupere's mark he DID hit it. Another spine-tingler that turns into a loving, warm melody. Falling rain, then, and a worn, wood flute resounds through the rain forest. All of it collides to form a lovely piece that envelopes so many grand emotions in but only 10 minutes of sheer joy. " Querer" is passionate and sounds to me as being a very nice love song though not in my tastes. "Entracte" I was doubtful at the beginning but it wouldn't let me not like it - it took my chin in it's hand and made me look at it long and clear, to listen to it just for a few seconds more And there it was. I heard the drums kick in and the amazing melody begin in full throttle, pulsing with fun and energy and good humour. You could almost see the act going on in the stage of your mind. "Pokinai" was undescribably gorgeous! It reminded me of a lady hanging on the trapeze with her legs in almost completely darkness as a curled up ball and then unfolding very beautifully, silver rain falling all around her. Slowly, she begins to move and discover hands and feet. That innocence and curiousity gives way slightly to her complete joy that she's ALIVE! Then a young man appears and she discovers young love, they doing various moves in the air.... These are the impressions I get when I listen to this song. "Alegria" was impressive music-wise as well as impressive in vocal. The main voice has a strong, sultry voice that seems to have every possible element in perfect feminity. Even though it probably wasn't meant as a love song, it comes across as such and I have no hesitation in saying it was a flawless piece that reminded me of tan-shaded shadows floating over two lovers... "Kalimando" starts camly with natural sounds taking the spotlight, birds singing, the light and gentle strains of water. It was a ground-centring piece after all the energy and fast-paced pieces before it. The lyrics almost seem to say in their foreign, mysterious tongue, " Time to rest." "Grosse Femme" was a lively melody that sounded a bit like a carousel-horse tune that if you play really loud *grin* it sounds as if you are truly on a merry-go-round at a circus during the night, the cool air swirling around you like mist...

So, in conclusion of my journey into Cirque du Soleil, I have gone into ectasy and back again. I have been happy, sad, nostalgic, dignified, mysterious, and a whole lot more in the expanse of this one CD. If that isn't magic, nothing is.

I don't normally write reviews for CD's. I usually stick to books, however, I have to make an exception for Cirque Du Soliel.

My dance teacher had first used the song Mystere for one of her performances and ever since then, I have been hooked on their music. I'm sad to see Rene Dupere leave Cirque. In my opinion, and in the opinion of many other musicians and composers, Rene is one of the best living composers. This album is perhaps a collection of his greatest peices. It does have one piece from Benoit Jutras but in my opinion, it doesn't match quite the level that Rene's are at.

If you are interested in Cirque's music, I think this CD would be the way to go.

just wanted to fix a slip in my review- I said Kalandero is in Mystere- it is actually in Alegria. When I said Mystere I was thinking of the song Birimbau- both are track 3 on their respective CDs.

This is a good way to start your Cirque Du Soleil music collection. Although it has some old music, it is still a good album.

Cirque's first attempt at a Greatest Hits album is simple- take key songs from a bunch of the shows and put them on disc. However, it would have been really nice if they threw some of their unbelievable power music such as Saltimbanco's "Barock" or Mystere's "Kalandero". Other than that, there's no way to improve- after all, this is the best of Cirque!