Timeless

Love this album.

The first Dulin album that I purchased was "The One I Waited For." That album helps to define my expectation for what "new age piano" music is: relaxing, somewhat airy/dreamy, emotionally moving, and interesting yet not so interesting as to be distracting. Within two months it quickly became one of my favorite relaxation albums, and I've listened through it more than fifty times during that period. (Some of the songs on that album have received more plays than that.) I was delighted to find "Timeless" after hearing "Simply Satie" come up on Pandora Radio. The album is made up of Dulin's rendition of classical tracks. "Simply Satie" was a wonderful rendition on the classical "Gymnopedies," which is a piece that is arguably already dreamy and new age-like. Dulin's treatment truly brought the piece into the "new age" genre. It is a delight to listen to, and perhaps doubly so for those who are already familiar with the original version. My disappointment came from the rest of the album. The song selection is good and I feel that Dulin plays the pieces well. However, the pieces are seemingly not heavily modified. Whereas "Simply Satie" has a number of changes that make it sound like a signature Dulin work of new age piano, the rest of the pieces do not have anything added to them that would give me reason to believe that they were played by Dulin over any other classical pianist. If one is expecting a new age Dulin work, you need only purchase "Simply Satie" from this album. The rest of the pieces - while good - are more classical than new age, to my ears. Their "energy level" is lower than a new age piece: the tempo is slower; the softness of the piano is largely constant throughout each piece; and variation in play style overall throughout each piece is lacking. I do not believe that there is anything in these pieces that would upset fans of classical music, but fans of piano-based new age music may find the songs to be less emotionally moving and a little more boring. In summary: if you are simply seeking calming piano music, this album is as good a choice as any. If you came here seeking piano-based new age music, or music that sounds unique to Michael Dulin, consider purchasing the first track and passing on the rest.

I bought this after (endlessly) hearing the Satie piece during physical therapy. It was fine and dreamy until I started listening to classically trained musicians play the same material. It's now hard to return to this syrupy mess after listening to master pianists like Zoltan Kocsis play "Waltz" (Chopin's No. 7, C Sharp), or Vladimir Ashkenazy play "Nocturne" (Chopin's No. 8, D Flat). It becomes not only blatantly obvious that Dulin's skills are severely lacking, but it becomes almost embarrassing to listen to Dulin's attempts to market this album as the work of a professional. If you have ever taken piano lessons or lessons for any other instrument, you probably remember that second- or third-year lessons included classical and popular music dumbed down to the intermediate student's level. This is what Dulin sounds like. Ironically, Dulin's interpretation of Satie, maybe due to its simplicity, seems easier to digest than other pieces on this album.

I bought this album after hearing on Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio. It is a great album to relax to or listen to while working on homework, etc.

One of the best classical piano I have heard. Great for background at dinner or just relaxing.

For several months as I was listening to a classical piano station, every time a song would catch my 'ear' as being particularly good, it turned out to be one of Michael Dulin's. I bought this and his Christmas album, and have enjoyed both immensely. Wonderful music for the soul amidst the busyness of life!