Midnight on the Water is a solo classical/bluegrass album by Mark O'Connor. In it are six of his original caprices and four improvisations, as well as his arrangements of some traditional folk works.
| Midnight on the Water | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Classical/Bluegrass | |||
| Length | 69:43 | |||
| Label | Sony Classical | |||
| Producer | Mark O'Connor | |||
| Mark O'Connor chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The caprices are loosely based on Paganini's 24 Caprices for Solo Violin. They are in much the same spirit of technical difficulty - Mark O'Connor's word was that "This album easily represents my best playing on a recording." They contain many references to Paganini's Caprices, and draw upon O'Connor's repertoire of classic Texas fiddle motifs. In this, they represent a sort of bluegrass/classical virtuoso crossover, and a dedication to Paganini.
Midnight on the Water, the first part of the album's Track 17 medley, is a tune that Mark O'Connor's Texas mentor, Benny Thomasson, attributed to his father and uncle. It is somewhat of a dedication to Thomasson.
Track listing
editAll tracks are traditional and arranged by O'Connor or original works by O'Connor, except as indicated.
- "The Cricket Dance" (violin) – 1:40
- "Caprice No. 1 in A Major" (violin) – 3:25
- "Improvisation #1" (violin) – 2:53
- "Caprice No. 2 in G Minor" (violin) – 3:02
- "Follow the Scout" (mandolin) – 5:47
- "Caprice No. 3 in A Major" (violin) – 4:35
- "Improvisation #2" (violin) – 3:22
- "Caprice No. 4 in D Major" (violin) – 2:29
- "Fancy Stops and Goes" (guitar) – 3:48
- "Improvisation #3" (violin) – 4:06
- "Caprice No. 5 in F Major" (violin) – 2:41
- "River Out Back" (mandocello) – 4:39
- "Improvisation #4" (violin) – 5:20
- "Caprice No. 6 in G Major" (violin) – 2:53
- "Flailing" (guitar) – 6:31
- "The Star-Spangled Banner" (violin) (Key) – 2:01
- "Midnight on the Water/Bonaparte's Retreat" (violin) – 7:36
- "Amazing Grace" (violin) (Newton) – 2:54
Personnel
edit- Mark O'Connor - violin, guitar, mandolin, and mandocello; producer, editing and post-production
- Dave Sinko, assisted by Billy Saurel and Josh Sinko - Engineers
- Denny Purcell - Mastering
- Joel Zimmerman - Art Direction
- Hans Neleman - Photography
References
edit- ^ Owens, Thom. Midnight on the Water at AllMusic