TheMann
Group: Members
Posts: 103
Joined: June 2004 |
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Posted: July 12 2008, 04:25 |
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I have been thinking about why the re-use of old themes (in particular TB1 & TB2) doesn't bother me even the slightest this time. In the past, it certainly irritated me at places... (but not always, e.g., the Taurus re-use was wonderful).
For one thing, it is the very different feel of the music this time; it is not simple time-saving, cheap, tricks as I feel it was in some earlier works. You know what I am talking about, endless misplaced references to Tubular Bells...
No, here, in MOTS, it is just as Mike finally has done enough earlier experiments with those motifs and now finally decided about their optimal form. Loads of experience for what they can do ... now implemented with great effect.
I defininetely love the "Harbinger version" of the TB main theme, not to mention the absolutely superb version of the TB main final, Music Universalis, which is just so fantastically powerful in all respects. How refreshing is it not when first that heavy rythmic piano appears in Tempest, and then the guitar enters with force, ... , this is more "Rave" for me than what TB3 ever was. In an intervju, some years ago, Mike said something about "possibly writing soem music that isn't hip" ... well, nothing could be more hip than writing this kind of powerful real music! What is more hip: e.g., the techno final of Millenium Bells or the Tempest? There are light-years in-between; whereas MB seems to be for children, Tempest is highly sofisticated.
Think about Harbinger for a while; isn't there a clear "Soviet sound", the climax with the horns, that non-typical (for Mike) melody played by the strings ... this is what makes it all work for me, that it is not about the TB theme actually, it is just there as a texture supporting more important (fresh) ideas. I certainly love this "russian" feel, which is apparent in track 9 just before it ends; a fantastic fanfar, not at all typical for Mike, something which shows his ability to change genre -- great! The main theme in Tempest/Musica Universalis, the long horns (with a reference to TB2) is another such great moment. First (at the 2-3 first listenings) I was a bit suspicius about this theme, it felt to ... simple, obvious (...?) ... but, no, Mike was right, this is exactly what MOTS required, this kind of worthy, eternally beutiful melody! Forget about TB2, this is its final form!
Back to the TB themes. Well, first of all, there are of course many other references to his other works, which is just fine to me as well (and not that particular obvious as well); interesting enough, there are very few motifs from his virgin 80-era (e.g., nothing from Five Miles Out, Crises, Discovery, three at that time very popular works) ., , it is TB2, TSODE, TL, ... Well, anyway, a very important feature here is that the MOTS references are technically advanced (think about the guitar part in track 11, great! ) and hand-played! Significant for me, all those of you who love Amarok will agree I guess.
I have already (earlier) expressed that I was surprised by how "slow" MOTS is (and I mean it as something good! ), Mike takes his time and explores all the details. But did I mention the INTELLIGENCE?!!
Run some pattern-recognition algorithm on the music score and you will get loads of hits on that lovely "increasing 5-note-"motif! Abreviated "I5N" from now on, it is just amazing how important this short motif is in MOTS. You hear it already in the beginning in Harbinger, after 14 seconds, supporting the TB theme. It is completely dominating in Shabda; the guitar plays it when it enters the scene, but it is everywhere in the flutes; it is everywhere in Harmonia Mundi, pay particularily attention to when the guitar plays for the first times, when it suddenly "goes up" high .. Yeah, exactly there (at 0.32) you have the I5N motif integrated into a fluent melody. Also, at 0.44 in the "silent" melody starting there... , This is what I am talking about, there is so much to discover!
I must confess that I doubt that Mike will write anything so fantastic as MOTS again. The reason is that he has doubtless been (implicitly or explicitly) thinking about this project for 34 years; all his favorite themes have floating around in his laboratory, and finally everything just matched perfectly, all of it!
But I agree with those who feel that he should give orchester music another shot. He has the ability if he wants to! I just hope he takes his time, the next orchestral work will have a hard time up against the 100% perfect all-time-masterpiece MOTS. Just try to find new themes as strong as Shabda or the piano tune in Musica Universalis --- its gonna be really difficult.
I like to end this post with mentioning the fact that I find not one single part of MOTS as "boring" or just a "filler". Not even seconds. ALL of it great!
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