George Winston - Forest

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Music reviews of Forest

Music Review: Music that never wears out
Rating: 5 Stars

My reaction upon hearing of this album for the first time was, however, more than disappointment--so much so that I regretted not having bought a CD of older releases instead, which then I only had on cassette tapes. What I was most disturbed by was that this album seemed to lack the beautiful lyricism that most strongly characterizes Winston's music, especially in the first two tracks, Tamarack Pines and Forbidden Forest, which should present the atmosphere of the entire album. So I identify with the disappointment others have expressed in their reviews. NONETHELESS, I decided to give it and myself some time to be familiar with each other, with the exciting perseverance I used to take in my childhood upon going through every single line of the introduction and liner notes to a thick book or a lengthy classical piece that simply did not register into my mind. I would play Forest day and night, and as somebody mentioned in his review (which was not so positive in the whole, however), I realized it was indeed quite wonderful background music. And after spending more time with it, I was finally able to recognize the incredible beauty of all the pieces on this album; the serene and yet heartbreakingly melancholy themes may not be as noticeable catchy as such genuinely lyrical melodies of December, but as much as they are not so easy to get immediately, every time you hear them they touch your heart in a very fresh way. Even the "disturbing" Tamarack Pines now so vividly conjures up such beautiful images of plummeting pine needles.

I dare consider Winston's compositions as valuable as true classical music: And just as you must pay attention to appreciate classical music, it takes a certain amount of time and effort to be able to wholly appreciate the uniqueness and beauty of this album. Good music is good music because it does not let you just sit down and relax but makes you an active listener by stimulating your mind and asking for your constant attention for every small detail, so each time you listen to it it is new music to you. Forest has been a very special pleasure and a mind-opening discovery for me in that it did not come to me until I became active and reached out to get it myself, and I am positive it will give an equal joy to many other people.

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