TheMann
Group: Members
Posts: 103
Joined: June 2004 |
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Posted: Mar. 24 2008, 06:23 |
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After some days of constant listening, I want to add how amazed I still am over this truly increadible MASTERPIECE.
MIKE THIS MIGHT BE YOUR MOST INCREADABLE WORK EVER. THANKS!
There are so many impressing aspects of MOTS. I don't know where to start and how to structure all my thoughts... Perhaps first define what I was expecting in this phase of Mikes creativity:
I have never had any doubts concerning Mikes abilities to come up with magical musical fragments but during the previous 10-15 years I have noticed a certain lack of motivation from him to put enough effort into the work; not everybody will agree on this, but when I listen to e.g., Light & Shade I hear a lot of promising but underdeveloped ideas. E.g, Resolution, excellent choirs coming in but unfortunately nothing more happens. Or, on TresLunas, e.g., ReturnToTheOrigin; beutiful stuff which could have been developed and reused ten times more than actually happened. Instead he filled the CD with a lot of transport sections with trivial sounds (whales etc) over a few synth chords and very basic drum loops ... In my modest opinion, this is true for almost every work by Mike since the (partly amazing) Songs Of Distant Earth. (God, why didn't he develop it more, the enormous potential in Let There Be Light, Only Time Will Tell...! I consider these as two milestones in his creativity).
Note that I am not againts Mike's tendency to change genre; this is in fact something i like, that he tries different ways of expressing himself. I am only talking here about the exact amount of detailed work put into the compositions.
So, I guess, I didn't expect Mike to produce a solid full-length clear-cut Masterpiece. I lived under the impression that he doesn't anymore aim at that; that he is simply content with making up shorter fragments, presenting them basically as the raw data they are without much preprocessing, without exploring the inherent potential in the material.
Learning that Mike was working with an orchestra, I was pleased but sceptical; I imagined a lot of over-the-top crescendos (there are all too many of them in his previous works and in fact I hate most of them; they worked excellent in Ommadawn, Incantations and Crises, but not since; on TSODE and TB3 he several times plays the material louder and LOUDER, which I think is way under his dignity to do. Hate that, let the material speak for itself, let that f---ing master volume stay where it is...). Furthermore, I imagine some irritating bag-pipes appearing again (my god, why did they appear on Songs Of Distant Earth??). And of course, I didn't once expect the material to sit tight together, with smooth intelligent transitions and thematic associations ...
But of course, at the same time I was aware of the exceptionally fine orchesteral version of Ommadawn in 2006 (NOTP concertos) where he also played the guitar so lovely... So, maybe some good stuff, but again mixed with some meaningless muzak, without constituting an entire whole ...
************** AND THEN the final work arrived. And I listened to Music Of The Spheres. AND I WAS PROVED WRONG. I WAS STUNNED.
It structed me at once that he is serious this time, this is something different; there are NO dead parts at all, this is (SURPRISE) a sincere attempt (and what a successful one) to really compose new wonderful, advanced but still communicating music. Music that will last for very long.
All of it sticks wonderfully together.
There are exceptionally strong themes (like Shabda, or Musica Universalis). As usual, I tend to say; Mike never fails on this issue.
There is also such patience and trust in the ideas! He takes enogh time in developing the material and establishing a fantastic mood, like the proud Harmonia Mundi, a magical part in the 2nd movement. It feels like pure love from Mike to all his fans, this pastoral with the heavenly played guitar. All the "tracks" are exceptionally good, but I think "the 11" is such an increadible testamony to his ridiculosly supreme musicality; MIKE, you will rightly be remembered for all times for this piece of work.
Probably this is the aspect I love most of all with MOTS; the slow, sincere work-out of the ideas. This is why I in the first place started to listen to Mike; he completely stands out with this ability.
What can I say about the "tracks"? There are, of course, two movements; they shouldn't be cut-down in short fragments, I think. There are A LOT of strong ideas speard everywhere over the 45 minutes, it would be misleading to just mention how fantastic Shabda is; how fresh Aurora is (with the fluent guitar nicely integrated into it). How crazily much I admire Tempest for not being over-the-top which it could have been with overdesigned crescendos; now instead it is very rich in texture with a geniuosly integrated guitar and contrasted with slow Sibelius-sounding brass, just perfect. On My Heart, ... my God how worthy it ends 1st movement.
Personally I am currently misusing the 2nd Movement, I am constantly playing it, admiring every little tone on it - IT IS SO FU----G AMAZINGLY GENUINELY GENIUSLY BEUTIFUL!!!!!!!!! Sorry for the French, how shall i put it?
It is almost embarissing for other artists! Listen to the 2nd movement once, and then try to play some other CD after that. It is impossible, a crime ... Did you know, I actually burned all my other CDs yesterday, they didn't deserve sitting next to MOTS. Ok ok... I am joking but I wanted to do it, as a tribut to Mike
And honestly, I cried of happiness when I for the first time heared the piano in the final; what can I say, what a theme ... pure magic
Yeah, right, of course there are tubular textures here and there, but who gives a shit about that are you joking guys!!! If this is what it takes to make Mike composing serious stuff again let it then be; and why not reuse some of those mathematical structures again? They are in fact not dominating at all, rather putting this new masterpiece into a context and a tradition; reminding us of the origin of the music, THE MIKE OLDFIELD UNIVERSE ...
Hands down, people, this is A GREAT MASTERPIECE!!!!!!!!!!!
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