An Absolute Must!
author: Deeon
Ralph Zurmuhle’s music is refined and sophisticated. His music is a tender expression of deeply meaningful moments of life; reflections of a sensitive, gentle spirit. His music creates peace, wonderment, and personal contemplation. Highest recommendation!
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beautiful...
author: Sophie C
I first heard Ralph's music on Whisperings (Live365) and everytime one of his pieces was played, I would come to the computer to see who on earth the composer was! It kept turning out to be Ralph Zurmuhle. I just fell in love with his music! Pure, pristine...elegant. I concur with the other reviewers here and whole-heartedly recommend any of his albums. All of them are simply beautiful.
These pieces are wonderfully mature and seem to me full of awareness, and spiritual impulse. After one of his compositions comes to an end, I consistently find that I am left sitting in a place of quiet, inner stillness. Balance is everything and I think perhaps one thing I find so appealing (besides the elegance of the melodic lines) is Ralph's intuitive balancing of the right notes (in the right place!) with the requisite, echoing silence to create a perfect alchemy. ahhh! beautiful! It is wonderful to have these deep breaths written into the fabric of the notes.
I seldom write reviews, and when I do, it is because I find something to be particularly special.
Hope this review will encourage anyone to listen to, and collect, the music of this artist.
Sophie C.
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Exquisite...!
author: Patricia
This is some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. When one of Ralph's pieces comes on the air (I listen to Whisperings Solo Piano), I drop what I'm doing and simply listen. ...because this is solo piano at its best. I have listened over and over to all three of Ralph's CDs (more coming I hope!), each of them is an absolute gem...cannot reccomend these highly enough (need more stars! :))
This is pure, focused music...Ralph knows how to embrace stillness; every note is perfectly and consciously placed. As a result something deep inside inevitably responds. I find it transformative and transcendent. Can't think of a higher compliment than that! Thank you Ralph, I wish the whole world could sit down and have a listen...!
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One of the Best of the Best!
author: Kathy Parsons
I am just blown away by the quality of music that has been coming across my desk this year, and one of the best of the best is Ralph Zurmuhle’s masterpiece, “Our Mother.” An incredible pianist who understands the power of simplicity, Zurmuhle conveys a wide range of emotions in these nine tracks, allowing open spaces to be almost as expressive as the notes themselves. Most of the music is on the melancholy and introspective side, with some of it achingly beautiful. Although his music doesn’t sound like other artists’ music, I would put Ralph Zurmuhle in the same class of pianists as Michael Dulin, Robin Spielberg, David Lanz, and Michael Allen Harrison - artists who seem the most at home with their hands on a piano keyboard and who posses the playing skills to convey anything they wish to say in their music.
“Our Mother” begins with “Being There,” a gentle, graceful piece that is intimate and almost conversational. The quiet spaces between many of the notes resonate with feeling. If you aren’t hooked yet, try “The Wind At My Back,” which is lively, carefree, and one of my favorites. I love the spirit and dancelike quality of the piece. “Hymn” is more stately, but is also very prayerful, poignant, and deeply personal. There are two versions of the title track. One is digitally orchestrated and the second is solo piano - both are compellingly gorgeous. While I was in the listening process of reviewing this CD, “Our Mother” kept causing me to stop what I was doing and listen with full attention. The melody line is so simple, yet so powerful. The piano version segues from the end of the synth version, continuing the piece with a different voice. “Horizon” is absolutely hypnotic, and that Zurmuhle maintains a trancelike state for more than twenty minutes without becoming boring or repetitious says volumes about his artistry. The left hand plays a steady progression of three notes that rarely changes throughout the piece while the right hand tells the story, simply and directly, sometimes in the treble registers and sometimes crossed over into the bass. With the repetitious nature of this piece, I was amazed that it stayed fascinating over the nine times I listened to it. Don’t try to wake up to it, though! “David and Me” is also very spare and almost mournfully sad. At twelve minutes, it tells quite a story of great emotion and deep love. “The Return” is a lovely, elegant ballad that has a sweeping grace. The closing track is simply titled “A Melody.” This one reminds me a bit of David Lanz - thoughtful and fluid. What a great album!
A true work of art, I give “Our Mother” my highest recommendation.
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