Customer Reviews
A sublime experience - By: M. J. Perry, 03 Jul 2007 
Each of Keith Jarrett's performances demands respect but, for me, this is the solo concert which surpasses the rest. Part 1 is a jaw-dropping piece of improvisation which culminatesin one of the most moving, stirring & transcendant sequences you are likely to hear; the long, intricate journey resolves into a sublime resolution of the musical ideas. This intensity is sustainedin the second track where the ideas & sheer pianism can knock you back, before lifting & transporting you to an intense plane before...well, you need to listen to it. As you might gather, I rather like this cd.
Emotional - By: E. C. Macpherson, 07 Jan 2004 I am always left emotionally drained when I listen to this recording. I agree with one of the reviewers above that the 13 mins to 24 mins of Part 2 are is some of musics most beautiful & emotional moments. It is almost as if at that point of the concert he reaches nirvana & shares it with you. Breathtaking.
Stunning - By: Soundophile, 05 Mar 2003 I heard Over the Rainbow on the radioin the car first, & I was so touched by it that I went out & bought it the very next day. His interpretation of the piece is so completely mesmerising that it seems like every note is perfect. He knows exactly how to give a beautifully measured performance - just the right amount of dynamics & rubato to make it reach the soul. (I don't normally use such drastic methods of description about music, but this is an exception)
Although I bought the album for Over the Rainbow, the rest of the album is also heavenly, but that has been already discussed.
indescribable beauty - By: , 20 Oct 2002 My entry into the world of Keith Jarrett's solo concerts was perhaps his most famous recording, the "Koln Concert". Great though that is, I was soon left hungry for more. Fortunately Jarrett is, or was before he succumbed to ME, a prodigous performer. Improbable though it may seem, this concert recorded some twenty years after Koln is at least its equal.
Forget the rendition of "Over the Rainbow" - touching though it is. The 18th to 24th minutes of the second composition are quite possibly the most gorgeous intoxicating & emotional moments I have ever heardin music.
Jarrett's liner notes might appear arrogant (retelling how the former conductor's assistant at La Scala explained, via a translator, to Jarrett & his wife that it was the strongest most musical experience he had ever had). In truth they pay testament to the fact that music of such beauty, fragility & intensity defies classification or analysis of technique.
Jarrett's impact on contemporary music is considerable & many pianists, including Esbjorn Svensson, are labelled as Jarrett's heir apparent. On the strength of the Swede's recent concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, he is a pianist of rare skil & humour. However, nothing I heard came close to striking the chord of the finale to "la Scala, Part II".
In the ECM spirit of collaboration (Producer Manfred Eicher takes a delightin throwing musicians of different cultures & musical backgrounds into a melting pot) Jarrett has recorded many hours of standards with his trio. La Scala is a reminder that, occasionally, less is more & all the wordsin the world are not enough to describe true beauty.
A virtuoso performance of movingly brilliant piano solos - By: tracee, 18 Jan 2000 Keith Jarrett brings all of his skill, technique & musical spirit to bearin this brilliant gathering of solo piano improvisations. This is THE recording to play late at night when the rain is pouring down & you are alone or with a loved one & you want the musical atmosphere to warm & inspire you.
