Music of the Spheres
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend 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… Product details and pricing info |
|---|
30 Customer Reviews Posted
- 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. - 2008-04-21, 2 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- 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". - 2008-04-13, 3 of 5 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- 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. - 2008-04-11, 8 of 9 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- 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.
- 2008-04-11, 3 of 4 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- 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. - 2008-04-09, 7 of 9 people found this review helpful, Rated:
