SEUL ENSEMBLE

This is certainly one of the extraordinary releases this year (nearly two hours of music across 18 tracks). I found this immediately enjoyable from beginning to end with some lovely folk melodies that are developed further through fine orchestration. I then read bertolino's review which informed me that this is the lead from Harmonium and many of the songs are from that era with new material added. This is probably why I was able to appreciate it straight away. Apparently this is the music for an acrobatic circus/dance show which is something that Canada leads the world in. I'm reminded of the UK's attempt at something similar for the Millennium Show. Peter Gabriel was commissioned to write the music (the album Ovo) and while the acrobatic show was spectacular I have to say I enjoyed the music more (but then, as a lover of early Genesis, I am probably biased). We have many great rock musicians today and a few attempt something grander than writing great songs. They conceptualise and compose something akin to a symphony or a concerto from 100 years ago which, today, we might call a rock opera. Mike Oldfield (Music of the Spheres), Serj Tankian (Orca, The Symphony) and Tony Banks' classical piano compositions are examples of contemporary classical works that may not, as a result, have wide appeal but are well worth checking out. Frank Zappa's classical compositions illustrate his great versatility. Seul Ensemble falls into the more easily accessible group of great contemporary compositions with its mix of folk, rock, symphonic classical. This is a lovely album and a definite five stars for me.