- Purchase a product from the Music Store sold by Amazon.co.uk and receive £1 to use on an album download in our MP3 Store. Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s
Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
view the MP3 Album.
|
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Seven: A Suite for Orchestra marks both a departure and a homecoming for Tony Banks, best known as the keyboard player with Genesis. Since a brief sojourn in film music, notably with The Wicked Lady (1983), Banks has produced here his first orchestral work in 20 years. It may be his debut classical recording, but it also marks a return to the ambition behind the progressive rock of Genesis, where his classically inspired piano solos and intricate melodies elevated the band far above regular rock & roll. Now Banks has crafted a seven-movement symphonic suite, his lyrical piano entwined with the orchestra rather than showcased concerto-style.
The piece lies firmly within the pastoral English tradition of Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi, the lush orchestration (by Simon Hale) often infused with melancholy and soaring with a haunted intensity. Classical purists may dismiss Seven as pseudo-film music--indeed, the suite's third movement, "The Gateway", was written as a potential film theme and is gorgeously bittersweet and uplifting somewhat in the manner of John Williams's finale to ET (1982)--but those who just enjoy melodic orchestral music will find much to savour. The road from prog rock to symphonic score is littered with pretentious disasters, but Banks has wisely learnt from his predecessors' mistakes to make perhaps the most convincing transition so far. --Gary S Dalkin
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Work by a Superb Composer,
By
This review is from: Seven - A Suite for Orchestra (Audio CD)
The bridge between classical music and rock is littered with the wrecks of well-intentioned hybrid works that unfortunately end up somewhere in the middle ground between both genres. Often, orchestras will play “the music of . . .” rock acts such as the Rolling Stones, or rock artists themselves will try their hand at composing pieces for an orchestra. Too often the former ends up sounding like muzak and the latter ends up being largely arranged and orchestrated by others with dubious results. In the end, most fail to engage the listener musically.Looking at this past history, it is a brave person who seeks to cross the path between these worlds. Seven: A Suite for Orchestra, though, stands out as a prime exception to the general rule. Composer Tony Banks is perhaps best known for his writing and keyboard playing with the progressive rock group Genesis over the last three decades. Seven is his first full orchestral album, and represents the best example of a rock artist crossing over into classical thus far. Generally, there are several reasons why this work succeeds. Banks’ compositions have always favored more complex musical structures that lend themselves to expansion with an orchestra, compared with normal pedestrian three-chord rock structures. Many of Banks’ previous compositions were laden with classical influences such as Rachmaninov and Ravel. Additionally, as Banks explains in the notes accompanying the album, he wrote and arranged the pieces himself and minimally used an orchestrator, Simon Hale. The pieces were written for an orchestra, and are not rock compositions later adapted by an independent arranger. Banks had previously done orchestral music for the film entitled The Wicked Lady in 1983, and instrumental music for several film scores thereafter. Banks also avoided making the album a display of instrumental virtuosity with mere orchestral coloration in the background. Rather, the emphasis here is on composition. Where Banks plays piano, he does so minimally and only to augment the orchestra. The music on Seven also does not pander to the trendy “pop” classical pastures of acts like Bond, and instead has depth and substance. Finally, Banks himself is a listener and aficionado of classical music, and thus Seven is not some whimsical foray into a new genre. As for the music on Seven, there are seven separate songs that can stand on their own, yet which work as a whole. The musical influences range from Banks’ own instrumental and film work to the English Romanticism of Vaughan Williams. There is also a touch of other 20th Century composers, including Sibelius and Shostakovich. Banks plays piano on three of the tracks: Spring Tide, The Ram, and The Spirit of Gravity. Black Down, which is named after a hill located near Banks’ residence, ranks highly with this listener, as it evokes a dark romanticism throughout. Spring Tide features several interlocked melodies, and its introduction is also an appropriate opening for the album. Another favorite is The Spirit of Gravity, which like much of Banks’ previous instrumental work, progresses through several differing parts while remaining focused in purpose. The London Philharmonic Orchestra was appropriately selected by Banks—they assist throughout with fervent playing of each piece. The sound is excellent and results from co-producer Nick Davis along with the location of the orchestral recording at Air Lyndhurst, which is an advanced studio with an old Victorian church as its “live room.” Even the painting “Le Pays Avec Arbres” by the late Stefan Knapp was selected by Banks personally and appropriately adorns the cover, thereby completing the whole package. Therefore, Seven is highly recommended by this listener as a superb work by an excellent composer who should do more within the classical genre.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Faulty Expectations?,
By Q "Q" (Harefield, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Seven - A Suite for Orchestra (Audio CD)
I can only imagine that it is my expectations that are at fault. I have loved Tony Banks' work over the years - especially 'Curious Feeling' - and I based my expectations upon what he has done so far - hardly an unreasonable basis. However, all the gorgeous chords and chord-changes, all the scintillating arpeggios and all that wonderful Banks "feeling" - these are mostly conspicuous by their absence. I am very sorry to say that although 'Seven' is pleasant and pastoral, it is, to my ears at least, bland.
12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
His finest hour!,
By
This review is from: Seven - A Suite for Orchestra (Audio CD)
I've been an admirer of Banks since the early 70's when as a classical musician his piano introduction to 'Firth of Fifth' sparked my interest in prog rock.However, this CD is Banks at his best. His style has matured. Yes, the Genesis 'roots' and modulations are there, but also some extremely sensitive and well arranged orchestrations that release and enable the evocative melodies and lyrical themes to soar. There is evidence of Elgar, Finzi, Sibelius and Walton's influence here, plus the movie 'greats', particularly John Williams and Maurice Jarre. This is his finest work-it makes his other solo work,esp Wicked Lady, seem somewhat inconsequential. Buy this.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
