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Music of the Spheres

 Rating 4
enlarged image: Music of the Spheres
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80% Recommended by our customers.
Label: Decca
Catalog: Music
Release date: 2008-03-25
Media: Audio CD
discs number: 1
Ean: 0602517636330
Upc: 602517636330
tip Tip: compare prices with similar music CDs

Artist:
Mike Oldfieldsee more Popular Music by Mike Oldfield

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Album tracks: (14)
 Harbinger
 Animus
 Silhouette
 Shabda
 The Tempest
 Harbinger Reprise
 On My Heart (feat. Hayley Westenra)
 Aurora
 Prophecy
 On My Heart Reprise (feat. Hayley Westenra)
 Harmonia Mundi
 The Other Side
 Empyrean
 Musica Universalis

Professional Review:
Mike Oldfield has always been famed for his unconventional approach to music. Throughout his career he has consistently broken musical boundaries, and with Music of the Spheres he continues to do so. Taking influences from Holst and Rachmaninov as much as Steve Reich or William Orbit, this piece is classical in nature, but yet is also immediately identifiable as classic Mike Oldfield. Using a full concert orchestra and choir, and with solo parts from Mike himself on guitar, legendary soprano Hayley Westenra and renowned pianist Lang Lang, this is a work with huge emotional and musical scope. The title of the piece is a reference to something that Mike feels strongly: that all music should aim to represent the spriritual, or otherworldly elements of life: something beyond the mundane and everyday. In this he has clearly succeeded. Music of the Spheres is by turns epic, tender, mournful and triumphant. It is the work of a composer who above all can make beautiful and substantial music, regardless of genre or instrumentation.

User Reviews:
 Rating 5   Written on April 21, 2008
   Summary: mature
It's a great idea of Mike to try classical music. It's mature and melodic, complex and powerful. It's one piece from beginning to end. He successfully uses the full instrumentation which gives it a richness.
He uses silent parts and more powerful peaks in a very appropriate sensitive way.
If this is Mike's last music ever (me mentioned he may retire), what a phantastic ending! He has created a timeless piece of music.


 Rating 5   Written on April 13, 2008
   Summary: Very creative and somehow retrospective.
It reminds me in some aspects to many of his past masterpieces, like Tubular Bells, Ommadawn and QE2, using a good Orchestra, on a very first class scenario, on Bilbao's Gugenheim Arts Museum as scenario. It's a kind of walk across his past masterpieces.

It should be used as a film soundtrack.

Very good sound quality, altough I miss a Collector's Edition DVD, with the video in 5.1 and special features.

I found it a little bit short, but of a very good quality. As usual, Mike likes to introduce a base melody and plays with it all along the disc on many ways (as anyone else can), as he did in the past with Amarokk.

I am looking forward a disc that does not use at all the concept of Tubular Bells, and use instead of it, the Incantations scheme. A really breakthrough masterpiece.

Good Job, Mike! It was a quite fine job!!

"Buy it!, You will not be disapointed".


 Rating 5   Written on April 11, 2008
   Summary: Oldfield's Opus 1
Mike Oldfield was originally going to call his first album "Opus 1", rather than "Tubular Bells". "Music of the Spheres" is Oldfield's true Opus 1. He has created a wonderful classical piece.

When I heard that Oldfield had gone classical, I was concerned that he created something totally experimental and far afield from his previous works that I enjoy so much. I was pleased he chose to start with the next evolution of "Tubular Bells" and then take off from there.

It all works for me. I'm so glad Mike Oldfield's creativity is alive and well.


 Rating 5   Written on April 11, 2008
   Summary: Emotional Rollercoaster
This album is incredible. The one thing I love about Amazon is the music that's recommended that one would most likely never come across. Harbinger is one of my favorites! Mike Oldfield is a talented artist. Looking forward to hearing more of his music.

 Rating 5   Written on April 9, 2008
   Summary: A Masterwork
This album immediately separates itself from the rest of the MO discography because it is truly in the classical genre. Being so, the amazing thing I experienced was that I could still tell that it carried the distinctive Mike Oldfield musical "stamp." This showed me that Mike has truly succeeded in creating his own identifiable sound, regardless of genre.

I found the work to be highly enjoyable, profoundly moving and emotionally stirring. Mike has always had the ability to make music sing; to take us on a musical journey that crescendos, then receeds, bending and pulsing as it fills the heart, never the mind - THIS IS MUSIC TO FEEL DEEP DOWN IN YOUR SOUL.

I was not bothered by the initial musical reference to the Tubular Bells theme. To those who it bothers - get over it! It was worked in perfectly and expanded so as to feel new again and fresh. I feel that this work fits in easily and justifiably with his other "masterworks" - namely Tubular Bells, Ommadawn, Incantations, Tubular Bells II & Songs of Distant Earth. Music of the Spheres now joins this select group for me. All of these works have the touch of genius and mastery and elevate Mr. Oldfield to a lofty position in field of modern music.

From here - where? Who knows. Have we ever been able to predict Mike's next musical step? No - he is his own man and has earned the right to be so. All we can do is be grateful for whatever else he graces us with during his time on this earth.

Comparison map
Wondering how the music CD "Music of the Spheres" relates to similar music CDs? Find out at a glance here:
Price comparison Music of the Spheres
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The Songs of Distant Earth
The Songs of Distant Earth
Light + Shade
Light + Shade
Phoenix
Phoenix
Echoes of Light and Shadow
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Our price$13.99$12.98$9.99$24.97$14.99$14.99
List price$16.98$12.98$18.98$24.97$18.98$17.98
Lowest used price$5.27$10.33$5.98$9.94$8.99$7.49
Lowest new price$6.87$8.46$9.98$9.76$10.84$12.71
Collectible price--$22.00$41.99$60.00-
CatalogMusicMusicMusicMusicMusicMusic
Release date2008-03-252008-04-011996-02-062005-11-012008-04-152008-06-24
MediaAudio CDAudio CDAudio CDAudio CDAudio CDAudio CD
discs number111211
Format--EnhancedEnhanced, Import--
Ean060251763633008429770881200093624593324060249873810850999212869260753223603021
Upc602517636330842977088120936245933240602498738108-753223603021
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