Artist	Song
Riccardo Chailly and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra	Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G major, Third Movement (Adagio, 20:40)
Alexis Weissenberg	Claude Debussy: Clair de lune from Suite Bergamasque (5:06)
Pascal Roge	Erik Satie: Gnossienne No. 3 (3:08)
Jean-Yves Thibaudet	Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante defunte (6:07)
Sir Andrew Davis and the BBC Symphony Orchestra	Frederick Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring (5:56)
eiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra	Charles Tomlinson Griffes: The Vale of Dreams from Three Tone-Pictures 4:03
Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker	Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 10, First Movement (Adagio, 25:11)
Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic	Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question (5:25)

Comment:

Though Brian Eno coined the term "Ambient Music" in the late 20th Century, the roots of Ambience and its sister Minimalism
go back to at least the late nineteenth century, beginning with the works of Mahler and Debussy. This disc is designed as
a thumbnail sketch of some of the most important early ambient innovators and their music. Mark Prendergast's excellent book
"The Ambient Century" was used as a guide for the mix and this disc is meant to be a soundtrack of sorts to the first section
of that volume.
Mahler's Fourth Symphony debutted in 1900 and is a terrific example of his use of extremely long melodic lines to convey a sense
of yearning.
Debussy's signature piece is perhaps Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, composed in 1894 and thought by many to be the
beginning of modern music. Debussy once stated, "I should prefer the creation of a type of music that has neither motifs nor themes,
a more universal music." Clair de lune (Moonlight) fits that description completely
Erik Satie may be the father of modern Ambience and Minimalism. Between 1887 and 1893, he composed three sets of miniatures that
changed music forever. These were the sparse and light, but no less brilliant Trois Sarabandes, Trois Gymnopedies and
Gnossiennes.
Ravel is probably best known for his work on the soundtrack for the movie "Ten." He did much more than score Bo Derek running down
a windswept beach, however. His piano works are subtle and graceful, full of twists and turns. He described Pavane for a Dead
Princess as "a slow dance that a young Princess might have danced in bygone days at the Spanish court."
The tranquil works of Englishman Delius are represented here by his 1912 meloncholy masterpiece.
Griffes has only recently received his due as one of the most important American Impressionists. The Vale of Dreams, composed
the same year as Delius' Cuckoo is a quiet, peaceful slice of Ambience.
Back to Mahler for the seventh track on this disc: I hesitated putting another Mahler piece on, but couldn't resist as this movement
sums up Mahler's ambient vision perfectly. You cannot help getting lost in this movement; its subtle power is nearly overwhelming.
Originally, the disc was to conclude with the Mahler 10th track, but then I realized that I almost forgot Charles Ives, a slight
that would have been unforgiveable. The Unanswered Question sounds as if it should appear on one of Eno's Ambient
projects rather than in 1906.
The title is from a verse by Karl Stockhausen.

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