Abel Korzeniowski – Romeo and Juliet

Juliet’s Dream
Abel doesn’t make complicated music, but he makes complicated sounds. A light piano and strings introduction welcome you to the world of one of my favorite composers. In terms of the diversity of sound, I won’t be able to add a lot to the review, so it’ll be a quicker one. 4.5/5

Forbidden Love
A swift and rapid strings motif takes center stage. The piano complements it well. We are introduced to the love theme. Korzeniowski does an excellent job creating rising action here. About a minute in, the strings suite takes cover with a wistful sound. 5/5

Queen Mab
The piano dominates the introduction of this one. It sounds very much like his sound from “A Single Man.” That’s not a bad thing at all. Halfway through, a Waltz-like sound takes the reins. 4.5/5

The Cheek of Night
A deeper, lower-pitched strings ensemble welcomes you to this track. Our first hint of a singer, a female one, takes center stage. From there, sweeping string sounds create an almost sublime sound. It’s a waltz you would hear in heaven. 5/5

First Kiss
Piano only in the introduction. It sounds like what you would hear in the bar of a cruise ship. Then, the strings slowly make their sound known, creating the same effect that a bass guitar does to a rock sound. They accent the sound rather than contribute. But the action picks up and becomes more sweeping and more beautiful. Only the relatively boring introduction keeps this from getting a score of 5. 4.5/5

Trooping with Crows
An almost tenser sound, if you can call it that, comes out with this piece. I was almost hoping for something mediocre, just so that I could say that I am a true reviewer and not a slave to the art, but this one is very good too. The female singer comes in about 1 minute and 20 seconds in. Then, the piano comes in to complement it. Oh my good Abel how are you so good at making pleasant music? 4.5/5

A Thousand Times Good Night
Let me be clear: this is a perfect track. This track may be the best thing that Abel has ever made. And I love this album so far. It’s full of emotion, it’s full of sadness, and pain. The piano starts our goodnight session, but then the strings come in to sweep the mood and accent the piano. At nearly 7 minutes long, its welcome is never overdone. You clamor for more. When the piano slows down a 1 minute and 10 seconds in, you’re ready for the next themes to take over. Then, mournful woodwinds, possibly a piccolo or flute, change the dynamic quite quickly. The full orchestra then takes part in the rising action midway through. It’s like a strings version of “Flow Like Water” by James Newton Howard. As it continues on, it continues building the action until the piano takes over and breaks the tension. And just when you think it’s over, it comes back for one final encore. It leaves you wanting, and yet leaves you utterly satisfied. 7/5

Come, Gentle Night
After “A Thousand Times Good Night,” I’m not sure how you can top it. And you can’t. But a soft piano opening in accented again by strings is our intro to this piece. It’s a sweeping action of piano and strings. 4.5/5

Wedding Vows
It’s a substantially slower sound. The piano eases you into this piece, rather than forces you into it. You can feel the emotion in the air, and our singer returns for another fight. Without the vocals, this would merely be a 4, but the vocals really elevate the sound. Our love theme returns for a fight in this one as well. 5/5

Fortune’s Fool
A jumpy choral backing with a brassy orchestra sound makes this one Abel’s battle track. He’s building tension with rapid strings. A solo violin overshadows the other strings with periodic notes, and it’s tense. Relative silence takes over about a minute in. From there, the brass and drums come back in full fashion. The rough and tumble edges leave us at the conclusion for a muted strings tribute. 3.5/5

From Ancient Grudge
Another frantic piano bit. A sense of danger is evident. It’s good but not anything special. 3/5

Death Is My Heir
Another soft piano track here with string accents until it’s not. The volume elevates a minute in, elevating this track as well. He crams so much hope and loss into this one it’s not even realistic to explain it. 5/5

Tempt Not a Desperate Man
The full orchestra is in effect here. The strings are pulsating with the action of a thousand years of bad adaptations, but that’s not a knock on this track. The full orchestra comes in at the end again after a brief lull, shouting warnings. 4/5

The Crypt (Part 1)
It starts off so simply. Slow strings and a lumbering piano note here and there. Then, 1 minute and 30 seconds in, an almost lone chorus fills our graces. It’s deathly in its sound. It’s soft, and it’s polite. It reminds me of a Danny Elfman sound, but I can’t put my finger on which one. With a minute left, high-pitched strings take over. Our main theme comes back to provide its own graces, and a sense of loss is really starting to take hold. 4/5

The Crypt (Part 2)
Part 2 starts off right where part 1 left off. Slow, mournful strings control the preamble. There’s not a lot of information in this track to start the first half. But the main theme comes back in slowly, and almost lumbering. We have experienced loss, and we can tell via this track. The final strings solo combined with the orchestra, weeping almost, creates a very fitting casket. 4.5/5

Eternal Love
Immediately, the chorus and piano join forces. It’s almost uplifting in its sound. Our lone female singer comes back and provides her blessings to what we just witnessed. It’s such a good end. 6/5