Switched-On Bach 2000

by Jim BrenholtsSwitched-On Bach 2000 is a bit of a misnomer. Carlos released this on the Telarc label in 1992 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her classic recording, Switched-On Bach. That recording, remarkably futuristic in 1967, is still a major milestone in the history of e-music. (It is also, alas, long since unavailable.) Carlos' mastery of the synthesizer in the '60s and her transcriptions of classical music were extremely instrumental in moving electronic music from its strict avant-garde classification to an acceptable and accessible form of musical expression. These are beautiful recordings, too. Given the composing and the performing talent, it is difficult to imagine anything else. This CD comes with a 30-page booklet full of wonderful technical, historical, and biographical data. It all comes back, however, to the music. This performance is damn near perfect. Carlos' meticulous attention to detail and her production skills serve this project well. There are no mistakes. In her style, Carlos has few peers. Among the electronic music artists successfully transcribing classical music are Tangerine Dream, Michael Stearns, Kevin Keller, William Orbit, Isao Tomita (of course), and Michael Bentley.