William Orbit: Pieces In A Modern Style : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

On first listen, master producer William Orbit's first solo album -- a selection of classical works by the likes of Samuel Barber, John Cage, Vivaldi and Henryk Górecki reinterpreted electronically -- sounds sweet and becalming, if a little undistinguished. Orbit has said that this record is meant to be chill-out music, and it certainly works on that level. The pieces drift by, cloudlike, accented by wind chimes, the rush of helicopter blades and other effects -- these are songs that sound made for lying on a grassy hill, watching the sky go by. But the more you listen to Pieces in a Modern Style, the more warmth and affection you hear, particularly in the muted twinkling keyboards of Ravel's "Pavane pour une Infante Defunte" and the buttery synthesized strings on Handel's "Largo from Xerxes." These are Orbit's billets-doux to music that touches him. They're not meant for classical purists; they're charming little curios for anyone who's interested in the process of reinvention -- or in just chilling out. (RS 836)

STEPHANIE ZACHAREK