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ThisName Group: Members Posts: 307 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Mar. 28 2012, 09:50 I am starting this post on behalf of Gus Fogle who, as you know, has arranged Amarok for Piano and Bass Guitar based on my transcription of the piece. I'm sure Gus will add his thoughts about the whole process in time but I feel it is worthy of its own thread for two reasons. Firstly, this is the first time in history that the entire album will be played, all 60 minutes, unbroken and from memory. Not even Mike Oldield himself has played the entire piece. Secondly, it has been stripped down to its beautiful bare essentials. The musical ideas and structure becomes clearer and a much more refined and elegant version is presented. Now I have been able to view a private rehearsal video of Gus and Jason (the bassist) playing through the entire piece and the level of virtuosity (particularly on Gus's part) is phenomenal. Some passages are extremely demanding and the constant nature of the piece means that Gus is playing demanding music for a solid 60 minutes. To play this also from memory is one of the most impressive feats I have witnessed and I feel very proud to have been a part of this process. Now Gus will be performing the piece for the first time on April 27th which to my knowledge will be available to view afterwards so do keep your eyes peeled. All of this has been quietly ticking along now for some 6 months and I felt it was important that people know about it and I really cannot wait to hear the end result. Well done to Gus and Jason for attempting this near impossible feat! -------------- www.ryanyardmusic.com Back to top

Tati The Sentinel Group: Members Posts: 3360 Joined: Feb. 2002 Posted: Mar. 28 2012, 13:04 That would be awesome! As soon as you've got updates,just let us know! -------------- "But it's always the outsider, the black sheep, that becomes the blockbuster." - Mike Oldfield, 2014 "I remember feeling that I'd been judged unfairly and that I was going to prove them wrong." - Peter Davison, 2011 Back to top

GusFogle Group: Members Posts: 198 Joined: July 2011 Posted: Mar. 28 2012, 14:29 Thanks, Ryan. With the performance being slightly less than a month away, Jason and I are rehearsing as frequently as possible. We've played the piece so much that we actually play some sections faster than the original (ridiculous, I know), so now we're going to focus on playing the whole thing at the, we'll say, "relaxed" tempo of the original. And yes, everyone, the performance will be filmed and uploaded in high quality on youtube to be watched as a single hour long video. As an interesting side note, with the upcoming Incantations project following Amarok, it is funny to think that, if Jason and I eventually perform the entire Incantations album live, we'll still be breaking new ground because Mike never played ALL of Incantations live. Back to top

Philippe Tavares Group: Members Posts: 1612 Joined: Feb. 2005 Posted: Mar. 28 2012, 14:44 Where did you planed to perform the track ?   Back to top

ThisName Group: Members Posts: 307 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Mar. 28 2012, 14:45 Hi Gus, Incantations complete would be a real edge of your seat ride! I very much look forward to that prospect. Was wondering if you wanted me to edit down your radio interview and upload here as I am sure everyone would love to hear the interview as it was very insightful. -------------- www.ryanyardmusic.com Back to top

GusFogle Group: Members Posts: 198 Joined: July 2011 Posted: Mar. 28 2012, 15:42 Quote (Tubular Tos @ Mar. 28 2012, 14:44) Where did you planed to perform the track ?   We are performing Amarok at a small arts center in the state of Kentucky; United States. A very intimate crowd- we expect between 100 and 200. Ryan, you may edit the radio interview as you see fit. That sounds like a good idea. Back to top

ThisName Group: Members Posts: 307 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Mar. 29 2012, 05:50 Hi all, here is the link to the brilliant interview Gus had recently about the Amarok project and performance. Very informative and insightful. I hope the link works. http://www.sendspace.com/file/psa4x8 -------------- www.ryanyardmusic.com Back to top

olracUK Group: Members Posts: 1683 Joined: June 2003 Posted: Mar. 29 2012, 17:45 Could you consider some kind of live web stream - via ustream for example? -------------- The answer is 42 - but what is the question? Back to top

GusFogle Group: Members Posts: 198 Joined: July 2011 Posted: Mar. 29 2012, 18:05 As much as I like the idea, I have no idea how to go about doing that. I'm not sure if my computer and camera have the capabilities to transmit a live feed. If I was more tech-savvy, it wouldn't be a problem. As it is, the chances of something going wrong would increase if I tried doing something I wasn't too sure of. Rest assured though, footage of the performance will be on youtube within 24 hours of the show. Back to top

ThisName Group: Members Posts: 307 Joined: July 2005 Posted: Mar. 30 2012, 18:36 We are all looking forward to seeing it! Not to put too much pressure on you Gus! More Amarok goodies to come later this year in the form of a full musical analysis of the album.....watch this space. -------------- www.ryanyardmusic.com Back to top

GusFogle Group: Members Posts: 198 Joined: July 2011 Posted: Mar. 31 2012, 12:29 No pressure at all! As if simply playing the piece weren't enough. Hahaha. One of Jason's friends will be operating the video camera on a tripod and will be placed right in front of the stage (so as to avoid crowd noise and the chance of someone walking in front of the camera). I'm also having someone else record an audience video recording- I intend to have this recorded at all costs! Back to top

Philippe Tavares Group: Members Posts: 1612 Joined: Feb. 2005 Posted: Mar. 31 2012, 13:55 ...well Kentucky US ..it's too far far far away for me !   Back to top

olracUK Group: Members Posts: 1683 Joined: June 2003 Posted: Mar. 31 2012, 17:58 £508 (about $800) from London to Louiseville - plus taxi's and hotel and beer - probably a lot of beer... have to skip this one.   -------------- The answer is 42 - but what is the question? Back to top

Holger Group: Members Posts: 1506 Joined: Feb. 2003 Posted: Mar. 31 2012, 18:16 Best of luck, sounds like a great project. But yeah, too far for me as well, unfortunately. Back to top

ThisName Group: Members Posts: 307 Joined: July 2005 Posted: April 01 2012, 06:34 Well remember guys, we will be able to see the performance when it is uploaded so that will be very exciting. I was sat on the edge of my seat when watching the rehearsal video, it's thrilling stuff indeed! -------------- www.ryanyardmusic.com Back to top

ThisName Group: Members Posts: 307 Joined: July 2005 Posted: April 27 2012, 06:10 Hi all, Just wishing Gus and Jason all the best for the first ever complete live performance of Amarok tonight 27/04/12. A real historic event! I believe the footage will be posted at some point over the weekend. Good luck guys -------------- www.ryanyardmusic.com Back to top

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