Breakthrough classical synth composer has died

Breakthrough classical synth composer has died

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norman lebrecht

May 08, 2016

Renowned for his synthesizer versions of classical works,  Isao Tomita died on May 5, aged 84.

Tomita earned his greatest success with a 1974 album, Snowflakes Are Dancing. Samples below.

isao_tomita makuhari_2013

Comments

  • Ann Nomynous says:

    Terrible versions. Just terrible. But each to their own.

    • harold braun says:

      Well,it’s very 70s…..but:It converted thousands of people to classical music….I experienced it first hand….many of my classmates wanting to buy the original versions of The Planets,Firebird,and so on,after listening to it….and those wonderful nights having first experiences with the other sex,having a good smoke,booze,and…..sweet bird of youth,how I miss those times…

    • Venny says:

      What do you mean? You just don’t know MOOG III of 70s? Sad!

  • Robert Holmén says:

    I knew people who pretty much thought he invented synthesizers and when they heard anything done with synthesizers their first comment was something like, “Oh, that’s just like Tomita…”

    For a lot of people he defined “synthesizers” and by the time 80’s pop came along they were too old to notice that there was more to synthesizers than Tomita.

  • Cubs Fan says:

    I actually enjoyed the Debussy recording. Even bought the cd when it came out. The Planets though…OMG. It was a sonic horror show. Then that awful Pictures at an Exhibition. That was enough. On to Subotnik and Walter (Wendy) Carlos. Real musical thinkers.

  • Eric says:

    We did a whole school project about Pictures at an Exhibition in our class music lessons in the late 70s. I must have been about 13 or 14.
    Looked at the Mussorgsky original, then the Ravel orchestration, the Emerson Lake & Palmer version, and the Tomita one. I remember it being pretty interesting.

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