IAN ANDERSON PLAYS THE ORCHESTRAL JETHRO TULL

Ian Anderson Plays The Orchestral Jethro Tull with the Neue Philharmonic Frankfurt conducted by John O' Hara is real treat if you are a fan of classical music meets rock and of Jethro Tull and Anderson's solo work. For me it all applies, I look at experiences like this as something new and different to enjoy. It is nothing new obviously; it's just a real turn of the tables watching Ian on stage with a full orchestra doing all the familiar JT tracks with an entirely different twist.

I saw Jethro Tull a few years ago play with an orchestra live and it was a disappointment; however, I enjoyed this much more. I think the orchestra was much better and Ian outside the realm of familiarity (with band members) was like a bird taking flight, taking old standards and breathing the air of new life into them by venturing down unknown paths.

Ian is the first to admit he cannot sing and his voice has not weathered all that well, even so, the presentation he makes is still excellent, and he remains one of the premiere flute players in the world.

He interestingly enough starts off the concert with a rousing version of "Eurology" from his solo album Rupi's Dance (2003), even though the title indicates that its Jethro Tull music. As it turns out, it was a great way to start the proceedings. I loved the song live and cannot seem to get it out of my head when I hear it. "Aqualung" was the most enjoyable track by far though. Anderson mentions before the song starts, without announcing the title, that many folks do not recognize the song until its well into the first few minutes, I caught on about 30 seconds into it, what can I say? I am total JT freak. It is a marvelous interpretation of the song and five times better than the one I saw live, once again due to the adventurous reorganization of the composition and the top notch orchestra complementing Ian's flute became a key factor in making this version such a great success. "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day" and "Locomotive Breath" were highlights from my viewpoint as well. Florian Opahle is not Martin Barre but the youngster does an exceptional job on both acoustic and electric guitar. The DVD tracks are sequenced in the same order as the double CD with the exception of some interviews with Ian that are very revealing and interesting, and the in between song conversations are cut out of the CD version.

In the end when I was through watching and listening, I felt that I could not have enjoyed the entire show more. I wish that I could have been there to see it myself, although good DVDs do give you one of the best seats in the house. I swore after the first experience that it would be the last; this restored my faith and reopened my mind to the possibilities of exploring a live event like this again if it ever comes to town, on that rare evening in the middle of the summer.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck-http://www.muzikreviews.com

December 28, 2005

Review Nº 580

"Ian Anderson Plays The Orchestral Jethro Tull" is the debut DVD of Ian Anderson, as a solo artist, and was released in 2005. It features the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra, conducted by John O'Hara. Joining Ian and the orchestra we have the drummer James Duncan, the bassist David Goodier, the keyboard & accordion player John O'Hara, who also is the conductor of the orchestra, and the guitarist Florian Opahle. They form a very fine unit, and while they may not be Jethro Tull, these musicians certainly have a handle on these songs and work very well with the orchestra. It has also the participation of three members of the orchestra as soloists, Kathrin Troester on flute, Sibylle Wähnert on bassoon and Astrid Cienia on oboe, on some tracks. It was recorded from a live show at the Rosengarten in Mannheim, Germany, in 2004. This concert was part of a series of concerts with the same name. Anderson and the orchestra toured Europe and USA throughout 2004 and 2006. It was also released as a double live album, with the same name which contains the same tracks in the same order. In addition to the concert, the DVD has also an interview with Ian Anderson.

As you can see by the track list, there are plenty of classic songs here, as well as some of the holiday tunes that Jethro Tull has recorded. From the Jethro Tull's tracks, we have: "Bourée" of "Stand Up"; "Wondr'ing Aloud", "Cheap Day Return", "Mother Goose", "Aqualung", "My God" and "Locomotive Breath" of "Aqualung"; "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day" of "War Child"; "Up The Pool", "Life Is A Long Song" and "Living In The Past" of "Living In The Past"; "Budapest" of "Crest Of A Knave"; "We Five Kings", "Pavane" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" of "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album". From the Anderson's solo tracks, we have: "In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff" of "Divinities: Twelve Dances With God"; "Boris Dancing" of "The Secret Language Of Birds"; "Eurology", "Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song)" and "Griminelli's Lament" of "Rupi's Dance".

Joined by the orchestra, Ian and his solo band run through many Jethro Tull and Anderson's hits. When joined by the orchestra the sound is magic. The material here like "Up The Pool", sounds sophisticated in this setting with the aging and respectful audience politely applauding. I particularly loved the version of "Aqualung". Its orchestral version is dramatic and exciting, as we could expect. "Mother Goose", completed with bassoon, oboe, and accordion, has a wonderful flavour. Anderson's fans are now as old as the "Aqualung" figure he has projected for the past four decades. It's fascinating to hear the music of their youth presented in such old world ambiance. He is quite chatty on the show, talking about the reinvention of "We Three Kings", now titled "We Five Kings", for the rock/folk quintet employed on this gig. With Ian Anderson pretty much unplugged, the music of Jethro Tull works wonderfully in this special scenario.

As I wrote before, the live concert exists in CD and DVD formats. If you have the 2 CD set, then you have basically everything on it. Anyway, the DVD is a great companion to the CD. On the DVD you have the explanations of the story and the lyrics of the tracks, always with the excellent humour of Anderson. On it, you can see the perfect harmony and communion between all musicians and how Anderson is deeply respected by them. You can also see a 48 minute interview with Ian in the studio where he talks about his decision to record these classic songs with the orchestra and the other musicians. Hearing his thoughts on how much perfectionist he has been all over the years, yet admitting that he made numerous mistakes on stage every nights. It's also great to include his comments about the limitations of his voice and his decision to concentrate on the flute in the early years. He brings up the opinion that when Peter Gabriel stopped playing flute in Genesis, it was good for him because then he couldn't be compared to him, which is funny to hear, and may be true. This is Ian being very personal for the camera and I'm sure that you'll love this part of the DVD.

So, in addition to the concert, the DVD has also three interviews, with Ian Anderson, Fritz Rau and Mitwirkende.

Conclusion: This is a great companion DVD to the CD. Joined by the orchestra, Ian Anderson and his solo band run through many Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson's hits, and when joined by the orchestra the sound seems to be magic. As always, Ian Anderson is a great showman, and while he may not race around the stage like he did 20 or 30 years ago, he still brings what would be a fairly calm orchestra evening to great heights thanks to his energetic stage presence and with his humoristic commentaries. When we see the DVD we can see the ease with which Ian Anderson moves on stage the way he commands the show and how he is admired and respected by these group of much younger musicians, and by the orchestra too. This is Anderson being very personal for the cameras and long time fans will love this live show.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)