KONZERTE

I really couldn't have reviewed another band than ''Novalis'' tonight. The presence of Febus is so intense even if I know by now that I won't read any more new great reviews nor posts on the forum from this important collab. I dedicate this review to him of course. He was the one with whom I shared many mails and interests (aside music of course). We were really close in many aspects of our lives. It is a though job to write about a band whom he was praising so much. But here we go...

It is a bit of a shame that this first live album from ''Novalis'' doesn't hold any track of their debut album. Especially their fantastic ''Banished Bridge'' epic, which is my all time fave form this German band. Of course, by then, there was another vocalist who used to sing in English (which was a good idea IMHHO).

This live set is actually almost an integral play back of their second and third album. The sound is rawer here than on the studio counterparts. It is particularly true during the guitar part of ''Es Färbte Sich Die Wiese Grün''.

My preferred tracks in here is the beautiful ''Impressionen''. The fact that it is an instrumental is probably not alien to this feeling. But left alone this fact, the musical moments are so poignant, melodic and passionate that it is pure pleasure to listen to such a piece of music.

This being said, the according studio albums belonged to the band's best repertoire. Still, I would have liked to get the great ''Aufbruch'' in here (from ''Sommerabend''). Anyway, this live set is very good and should please any ''Novalis'' fan but also any symphonic music lover. The bombastic closing part of ''Wunderschätze'' is a wonderful aspect of this characteristic.

The pièce de résistance is the epic ''Sommerabend''. The wonderful and spacey intro is another great moment of this live album which is actually a very good collection of their early work (bearing in mind the remark for ''Banished Bridge''). Recommended.

Four stars.

I closed my review for ''Sommerabend'' with these words: ''I dedicate this review to my friend Febus: hold on my friend. There is light after the tunnel''. I knew about his health situation and I wrote it on November 29th. Antoine passed away three days later...

Unfortunately for Antoine, the light was turned off but he will always be a light for me. Repose en paix mon ami.