Serenada Schizophrana Reviews

• Nourishment for your Imagination

  
  By A22RP0LRT43GKK on 2006-10-18
  When I mention my appreciation of Danny Elfman's work to other people, a question I often get is "What kind of music does he do?"
  
  To date, the best answer I've been able to come up with is, "Imagine a truly great jazz impressario given an entire symphony orchestra to play with." He does movie soundtracks, of course, which I absolutely love, but to say that he is a soundtrack artist is not giving him the credit he deserves.
  
  This album is marvelous. Every time I listen to Danny's music, it not only fires my imagination, it kicks it into high gear. In that respect, I would call this album truly inspiring. It is by turns ethereal, imposing, surreal, ambient, overwhelming, disturbing, and just plain fun!
  
  If you love good music, if you love to have your imagination captivated and set free on a whole new plane of existence, then you owe it to yourself to give this album a listen.
  
  Your imagination will thank you for it.
  
  

• Music for the Hitchcock Movie Never Filmed

  
  By A14GOLG0CZWYWP on 2006-10-04
  Danny Elfman's "Serenada Schizophrana" is best decribed as a score for the Alfred Hitchcock movie never filmed. It has all the elements of a dark and cinematic film score by Bernard Hermann. There is also the humour of Elfman's work for Tim Burton. With a total running time of about 45 minutes, this is truly a disc that leaves you wanting more. If you have an SACD system then you will not be disappointed - the 5.1 surround sound is spectacular but never forced. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
  
  

• Master piece

  
  By A4DJK043W2PRH on 2006-10-07
  Serenada Schizophrana is probably the best work Elfman ever made. It is mature, virtuoso, deep and powerful. All his usuals styles are transcends, and the six mouvements are rich in shades and tones. The mouvements are all interesting in their own musical way, and invit us to a long travel inside the genius and strange brain of Danny Elfman. The fifth, "I Forget", which is probably his most wonderful piece, looks like a tragic fantasy opera with beautiful females choirs. Serenada Schizophrana is a truly amazing orchestral piece, but not easily accessible. Patience and lot of listening are recommanded in order to understand the richness of this work of art.
  
  

• Danny Elfman's masterpiece...

  
  By A3GI6DS6I474K8 on 2007-02-13
  Danny Elfman has long been a favorite of mine, going all the way back to his days with Oingo Boingo. I've been following his career closely since I heard his Beetlejuice score in 1988. He followed it with the classic Batman score in 1989. He made wonderful music throughout the nineties, often accompanying Tim Burton's films (he scored all of them save for Ed Wood). In my opinion, it took until 1999 to surpass his work on Batman, with the release of the Sleepy Hollow soundtrack. And now, with the release of Serenada Schizophrana, Sleepy Hollow has been dethroned. It'll take an impressive score to take this last composition's place.
  
  This orchestral suite showcases Elfman's versatile influences and he sounds better than ever. Sometimes dark, other times playful with more quiet and subtle parts, this was a completely different project than his usual film scores. He had a lot of freedom for this symphony and it shows. Serenada is divided in 7 movements and contains a bonus track.
  
  If some of the cuts sound familiar, it's because it was heavily featured in last year's Imax film Deep Sea 3D, narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. It fit perfectly well with the mysterious underwater world unfolding in 3D on the oversized screen.
  
  If you're a fan of Elfman's, you'll love Serenada. If you love movie scores, chances are you'll enjoy it too. The only downside with this CD has nothing to do with its content, but rather with its encoding. This is a SACD (Super Audio CD) and therefore will not be playable on your computer. It is designed for super audio players so you might want to check if your CD player can play it. It plays fine on mine and on my DVD player. The sound quality is much clearer than your average CD, but I find it disappointing that I'm not able to listen to this great suite on my IPod. Still, it's well worth it for the opening track alone!
  
  

• Amazing...

  
  By A1ZFG4LKT5EJR7 on 2006-11-17
  So, a rock star turned film composer writing a classical piece. Following the way most popular musicians-gone-composers, it wouldn't be surprising if "Serenada Schizophrana" sounded really old and trite. But this is Danny Elfman, and Serenada exceeds every expectation.
  
  Elfman claims much of his inspiration came from music of the early to mid-20th century. While this is quite obvious, there is still something very new about it. His sense of pacing is amazing, and his melodies and harmonies amazingly aesthetic. "Pianos" makes an excellent first movement, automatically drawing you in. And the "End Tag" is definitely necessary, as "Bells and Whistles", the last movement, draws you even further into Elfman's musical world, excellent for a last movement.
  
  However, it's impossible to pick favorites, not because there's so much music or anything like that, but because the entire score is phenomenal! This is excellent classical music that combines the best of today with the tradition of old-school contemporary stylistics. And as if the music isn't enough, George Condo's album art is gorgeous, and fits the music quite well. If you enjoy Elfman's music, or that of such composers as Prokofiev or Shostakovich, or even if you are looking for a unique addition to your CD collection, "Serenada Schizophrana" is a timeless work that promises and fulfills. Do not pass this one up.
  
  
• all these people are idiots
  By A34XG1NI6S76X3 on 2006-11-27
  yeah its ok. Its great elfman. But these are elfman fans being ostentatious throwing in off shostakovich and prokofiev to seem like they know something. Hes still just a musician(a great one for sure) who comes from pop roots and has no formal training in classical music.
  
  
• Incredibly Elfman
  By A3FHUWL8CZDCNJ on 2007-01-21
  In Danny Elfman's latest work, he really showed his range without losing himself in the music. Every movement is fabulous; they're all deliciouly dark and half-crazed, but have little vignettes laced with fun, beauty and sorrow throughout.
  
  This is an incredibly delightful piece; those with high expectations from him will not be disappointed! I am still not tired of listening to this.
  
  
• A soundtrack without a movie
  By A3GJGBF7FO8WDJ on 2007-06-27
  Danny Elfman is one of Hollywood's most talented score writers, with more than 100 movie soundtracks under his belt. His musical arrangements never fail to impress, and he has an almost mystical ability to match the mood of his music to the action on-screen -- particularly when he's working with filmmaker Tim Burton.
  
  Commissioned by the American Composers Orchestra, this symphonic piece gave the former Oingo Boingo frontman a new challenge -- working without the visual cues of a movie to inspire him. But, while the resulting tracks are entertaining on an aural level, they still sound like a soundtrack to me. And, without my own visual memories to accompany the music, my imagination filled them in -- I mostly saw scenes of Johnny Depp emoting or the stop-action hijinks of a skellington at play. Appropriately, it was later picked for use as a soundtrack for the IMAX film, Deep Sea 3D.
  
  So really, it's simple. If you enjoy Elfman's soundtrack work, get this and you'll love it. If you think soundtracks should only be heard in the background of a film, skip this or get yourself to an IMAX theater for a little underwater exploration with narrators Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet and, of course, Elfman.
  
  by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor
  
  
• It's Danny Elfman, but definately not his best.
  By on 2007-02-02
  Yes, I awaited for this release with great anticipation - however once I listened to it I realized that was pretty much in vain.
  Danny Elfman is a brilliant musician, and one of my favorite composers, however this is definately not his best work.
  I found it really mediocre. Sure it's great, but I'm hearing a lot of bits and pieces from other scores like 'Red Dragon', 'Batman', 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and a bit if 'Edward Scissorhands'.
  So in a nutshell it just feels like a lot of recycled music (that was GREAT to begin with) merged into a medley of 46 minutes.
  Don't get me wrong, I love this cd but it's just nothing special. If you were expecting a phenominal orchestral debut from Elfman, you'll be a little disappointed.
  
  Buy 'Music for a Darkened Theatre 2' or his other film scores - but if you need every single one of his recordings, then buy this, but don't expect too much.
  
  
• Elfman's Classical Album a Must Have
  By A3HLWKPS1G7EB6 on 2007-03-19
  This is vintage Danny Elfman but on the grand level of a full orchestral classical recording. I played this for my students, and they love the dark recording. A fantastic album.
  
  
• Danny Elfman turns the music world on it's ear.
  By A2VPE82Y2Y1M3 on 2007-04-13
  Mr. Elfman is always traveling new roads in discovering what he can accomplish. "Serenada Schizophrana" is a good example of starting at square one and producing a whole new world for our ears to digest. In a musical landscape as far away from mainstream, one would expect no less than ears that could digest. Mr. Elfman is always flexing his artistic muscles, we can expect more greatness in his career.
  
  
• "I (Will Never) Forget"
  By A3U79F26AYQVY4 on 2007-11-12
  It took me over a year to find a copy of this album (the curse of living in the midwest) but it was well worth the wait. This is just as solid and thrilling as Elfman's Classics like Batman and Black Beauty. The Cd starts off with "Pianos" and what a start it is! A moody melody that slowly builds and bascially serves as the unofficial theme of the piece. "Blue Strings" is very Herrmannesque with it's shades of Psycho and various other mood pieces. "A Brass Thing" Is one of the more fun cues that shifts between a slightly march like melody and a Jazz combo middle section (and if you listen closely you'll hear Danny's Sub-theme from Hulk).
  
  "The Quadruped Patrol" is a darkly humorous romp with "two dogs" tearing up a city street and is one of the most enjoyably chaotic cues I've ever heard. "Bells and Whistles" is the only real let-down on the album but it still has it's moments, most notably toward the end when the brass comes to the foreground and the piece comes to a conlusion.
  
  After a short reprise of "the Quadruped Patrol" called "End Tag", "Improv for Alto Sax" comes next. It is nice and mellow and is a good end to the album. Listen closely to this piece and you'll hear a theme from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory buried in there.
  
  Now I know what you're thinking, I left out a piece. Not really, I just saved the best for last. Words cannot describe the piece entitled "I Forget". It is simply perfect!Even now after multiple listenings, I am at a loss for words! This is the kind of music that instantly puts an image in my brain yet again it's an image I can't describe. It's like some kind of haunting journey. The use of choir makes it even more outstanding. If you buy this album for "I Forget" alone, It is still worth every penny.
  
  Oh, by the way, There is an extremely creepy clown picture in the jacket. Just warning you if you have an aversion to clowns. If you like creepy clowns, then you'll love the picture.
  
  BUY THIS CD!!!
  
  
• Just listen to it if you like Elfman
  By ABDSNY5RZ9JAO on 2007-01-21
  Just listen to it if you like Elfman
  
  
• ...weird...just plain weird...
  By A3J214PL5PEMWM on 2007-02-12
  This is definately Danny Elfman. I enjoyed some of his soundtracks, so I looked foreward to Serenada Schizophrana. Yes, I throughly enjoyed the music, but it is weird...just plain weird... The artwork inside the CD case was weirder than the music, if possible.
  
  
• ohh weird!
  By AVUBO1W7EV0WJ on 2007-04-25
  Weird and Good! You can definitely identify it being an Elfman work. I really enjoy this ride. I would like to see a modern ballet put to this!
  
  
• "spellbinding, and wonderful!!"
  By A1HMRJ6DQNUG41 on 2006-12-31
  Danny Elfman's, Serenada Schizophrana", is enchanting, and beautiful, the music is very unique, and each song tells a story, I loved this CD, I listen to it over and over again!!!
  
  
• Fantastic!
  By A2MTD0RENJCDBN on 2007-01-09
  Perfect for anyone who has ever loved a Soundtrack by Danny Elfman. I highly recommend this CD.
  
  
• It's Danny Elfman - Enough Said!!!
  By A1EX94ST2L2QGR on 2007-01-09
  If you're a fan of Danny Elfman, you will love this CD. The music is dark like his previous scores, but arranged just so that it's on a Hitchcockian level. I listen to this over and over again and I never get tired of hearing it. =+)
  
  
• Another side of Danny
  By A4O0KALS6E4MJ on 2007-01-11
  Mozart did it, why not Danny Elfman! This is a satisfying mix of classical music and classical Oingo Boingo Danny
  
  
• "I Forget"
  By A2PSKCZ60O3PFJ on 2006-10-06
  -The album starts off peacefully with soft pianos and woodwinds, then gets louder till with everything including choir till finally settling down around the 2:41 mark and moving into this beautiful fast moving piano piece that makes you rewind over and over again just to hear it again and again. It's a fantastic opener that lets us know that Elfman not only knows what he's doing, but is about to give us something we've never heard from him before. Prior to this the only piano stuff from Elfman I was familiar with was the stuff from "Corpse Bride" and that is really nothing compared to the fantastic stuff we get here on the first movement.
  
  -"Blue Strings" is perhaps the most Hermannesque piece on the whole album and my second favorite movement. It's pretty much a slow moving piece that does go on a for too long but is still a treat to listen to. This movement is actually something that I'd love to hear him do more of in his film scoring.
  
  -"A Brass Thing" starts off kind comically and for a while sounds like something you'll hear in a Woody Allen comedy, but things really start to get fun around the 3:42 mark which is when the jazz moment kicks in. It gets even better during the last 2:40 mark, which is when he has this flute solo that is absolutely heartbreaking and yet another thing I'd love to hear more from him in the future.
  
  -Those that prefer the really weird stuff from Elfman that makes you wonder how much bong hits he took before writing it will find great pleasure in "Quadruped Patrol". Elfman said that the idea for this came imagining a big dog fighting a little dog and you do get that sense with the music. I'm not sure who wins the fight, but judging by the music I guess they both loose. It's very weird music that only Elfman can do well and he does it very nicely here.
  
  -The highlight on the album for me and I noticed for a lot of people too is the Spanish movement "I Forget" which tells the story of a girl that has lost her idea and wanders around asking people if they've seen her idea. It's that classic Elfman choral writing taking a new level and is a blast to listen to. I recommend that people read the lyrics in English to better understand it because the music makes much more sense when you understand what the singers are saying. My favorite part is at the 4:32 mark, which can be best described as classic Elfman all the way. "Bells and Whistles" and "Improve for Alto Sax" are great too but I don't have much to say about them other than their great to listen to.
  
  -When you open the CD and read the little booklet, you'll see Elfman name all his influences from his idols Bernard Hermann, Nina Rota Max Steiner to classical influences like Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Dmitri Shostakovich and Carl Orf. Now when it comes to the film composers I know about them, but the classical composers are ones that I know nothing about. A lot of classical music fans that are familiar with them hear the influences but I hear nothing since I don't really listen to classical music. It is nice however to know that Elfman has heroes outside of the filmmusic world. And he also mentions Duke Ellington whose influence you can clearly hear in "A Brass Thing".
  
  -The only slight complain I have is the length. There are some movements on there that do go on way too long. "Blue Strings" is my second favorite and all but it could have been 2-3 minutes shorter. Same thing goes for certain melodies which gets played about 6-7 times before the next part of the melody comes in. But like I said before it's a slight complaint and not one that should keep people from going crazy over this fantastic album.
  
  -I look forward to the next concert piece from Elfman, and hopefully he'll take what he's learnt from doing this and apply it to his filmmusic, and hopefully the next concert piece won't have movements that go on for too long.
  
  
  

• Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 1: Film & Television Music
• Music for a Darkened Theatre, Vol. 2: Film & Television Music
• So Lo
• Edward Scissorhands: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack