ON SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

It's not every day, or week, or year that one comes across an album that makes history. Seventh Station's third release, the EP "On Shoulders of Giants," is one such album.

The international ensemble, which includes members from Slovenia, Turkey, and Israel, is releasing an EP that is a mental journey around two questions: What might have been the fate of the classical works of the previous century, if they had been written in the 2020s? And specifically: Do modern adaptation capabilities contribute to the original work, or do they risk distorting or diminishing the originals' impact?

Faced with these core questions, which are in themselves interesting, the album presents five different answers, in the form of five musical pieces, originally written by 20th century classical composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich or Heitor Villa-Lobos, reimagined with modern arrangements and sounds.

But what's so historic about an album that contains five rearrangements of classical works?

Well, as it turns out, never ever has an entire album been made consisting solely of rock arrangements of classical works, while completely preserving their original structure. Shallow, "poppy" rearrangements? sure. Classical pieces translated into jazz music? those exist too. Even a "switched on" electronic version of Bach. But all that has been done did deviate significantly from the melodic structure of the original works. Perhaps the closest thing to a faithful rock arrangement of a classical piece are the first six minutes of Emerson Lake and Palmer's "Pictures at an Exhibition," which more or less preserve the original structure as written by Modest Mussorgsky, but as the album goes on, it sharply breaks away from it. "On Shoulders of Giants" goes one step further and makes sure to adhere strictly and throughout to the original melodic structure of the classical works performed on the album, with the only deviation being that of the musical arrangement.

This harsh constraint shifts the focus from melody to arrangement and execution, providing a fascinating glimpse into the interplay between a prog-metal soul and a classicist body it brutally possessed. Indeed, this unique artistic technique is essential to the listening experience, much like the form of a haiku is to the Japanese poem, or Cubism to a Picasso painting.

It stands to reason then, that in order to fully enjoy the album, it is highly desirable, if not outright mandatory, to be familiar with the original compositions. No prior knowledge is necessary; listening in parallel to both the old and the reimagined is more than enough, and the band did well to include a list of references in the album booklet, a sort of musical bibliography for each work. Perhaps it would have been even better if there had been a link to a playlist of the original compositions alongside the album, to make it easier for the listener, who is already faced with a fairly complex album.

The first piece, "Three Days in Dresden," is a deconstruction/reconstruction of the second movement of Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8, Opus 110. The original piece is a rollercoaster of string instruments written entirely in three days, inspired by the bombing of the German city of Dresden during World War II. The reworking, which turned out very reminiscent of Devin Townsend's chaotic style, frees the original melody from the constraints of the acoustic era, and shows how modern sound can upgrade not only the work itself, but also its artistic context, because what better than the thrashing sounds of Prog-Metal bombardments to echo the real ones delivered on Dresden?

To address the preliminary questions about the contribution of modern sound to classical works - it seems that in this case we get a decisive answer. The modern version is fascinating, without a moment's rest, and not only does it upgrade the original melody but also allows for better application of arrangement techniques. Consider, for example, what happens at 00:58 compared to the corresponding section in the original work. The original piece, with the capabilities of that time, has no chance of reaching the same level of intensity.

And from the realms of bombastic Prog-Metal, we are thrown into the realms of the avant-garde in the second piece, with a section based on Alfred Schnittke's famous cantata from his opera "Historia von D. Johann Fausten". Unlike Faust's story, which is complex and crazy and creative as only a genius like Schnittke could deliver, here the story is quite simple and focuses on shifting the burden of proof to the only musician who did not participate in the chaos of the previous piece - the band's vocalist, Israeli Vidi Dolev. In a virtuoso showcase, throughout the piece Dolev simply ascends higher and higher, both in energy and vocal scale, backed by a powerful accompaniment, albeit one that is cleverly arranged in a way that supports the vocals without upstaging them. Here too, Seventh Station provides a phenomenal experience that propels the original piece beyond the classical boundaries, upgrading even one of the most energetic works in the modern classical repertoire. 2:0 for the core hypothesis. Bravissimo!

At the beginning of the third piece, the now-overloaded listener is given a moment of rest, with the bewitching opening of "Tropical Limbo," Seventh Station's answer to the Concerto for Marimba and Strings by one of the lesser-known composers in the set, German Eckhard Kopetzki. The harmonious and charming dialogue between a marimba and a host of string instruments from the original piece becomes, in the new arrangement, a more polarized and uneven piece, and in my opinion a bit inorganically knit together. Take, for example, the transition at 2:26, which in my opinion connects looser than the original piece to the section before it. The constraints of adhering to the original melody, along with having a drummer who also functions as a marimba player, are clear to me, but these loose ties could have been tackled in a different, better way, in my opinion. For example: the band does manage to do it perfectly right at 6:57, with the re-entering of the marimba, this time in a tighter manner. Another noteworthy aspect in the re-arrangement is the conversion of a violin solo from the original piece into a throbbing guitar solo by guitarist Dimitri Alperovich (5:45) - a delightful highlight of the re-work. The band did release a live version of this arrangement earlier this year, which left this viewer speechless with its tight and excellent performance, especially by full-time drummer / part-time marimba player, Grega Plamberger, who stole that show. Still, if we come back to the core question: Did the new adaptation improve the original work? I'm not sure. "Tropical Limbo" is certainly interesting, and stands on its own, but not necessarily in a way that proves the original thesis. It's a tie in this case.

The fourth piece is an arrangement for guitar and keyboard of "Melodia Sentimental," a fairly popular song by the ultra-popular Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. The original arrangement was written for a piano, but it has been extensively covered in countless versions and played by many different instruments. Here we have yet another version, though a good one at that, mainly showcasing vocalist Dolev's theatrical delivery in the original Portuguese, at an impressive vocal range. "Melodia Sentimental" is a pleasant song that does stand out, but really not too differently or in a unique enough way to be eligible to participate in the proving of the original thesis, and it is more of a "palate cleanser," the calm before the storm that is the fifth and closing composition of the album.

And although it is the last composition of the album, this is definitely not dessert but rather the main course of this exquisite meal; a flavor-explosion of a dish, which perhaps does the impossible: manages to surpass a work that is considered one of the most complex and progressive in the melodic section of the modernist genre of classical music; the elite of the elite; the almost-perfect first part of Ralph Vaughan Williams' Sixth Symphony. Why almost-perfect? Because Seventh Station's arrangement elevates this piece to such heights that listening to the critically acclaimed original work after hearing "Nagasaki Kisses", is a surprisingly discomforting experience. Every single touch in "Nagasaki Kisses" is spot on; every sound - a hit, zero misses, thanks to outstanding production work by keyboardist Eren Başbuğ and his seemingly endless sound library. For the Boomers among us - try to identify among the multitude of sounds the popular "Speak and Spell" electronic game from the 80s by the Tomy Company. Shiz is crazy. And not only Başbuğ but also all the other musicians deliver an outstanding performance.

The name "Nagasaki Kisses", by the way, pays tribute to the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which is believed to have inspired the original work by Vaughan Williams, despite the late composer's (apparently futile) attempts to claim otherwise.

But we can't really have this meal without dessert, as the best is saved for last. Unlike the original work, Seventh Station's arrangement contains one more track in the mix, one that you would not find in the original version by Vaughan Williams. For those of you who are familiar with Mike Patton's genius vocal parts done for his avant- garde "other" bands like "Mr. Bungle" or "Secret Chiefs 3" - you're in for a pleasant surprise, because this additional track contains some of the best vocal work I've ever heard. Dolev, in a performance unlike no other but top vocalist Patton's, stretches the boundaries of the human voice and proves that vocal cords can have a dominant role in an instrumental piece. In this regard, I mildly disagree with the band's definition of this performance, which refers to Dolev's role here as "singing in gibberish." This is a somewhat inaccurate description, as this performance is an integral and central part of the arrangement; a bona fide musical instrument, not to mention virtuously handled.

And if anyone had any doubts about proving the core thesis, "Nagasaki Kisses" comes along and seals the matter shut once and for all, delivering a knockout victory for modern adaptation.

Bottom Line: This unique album, a historic achievement in itself, showcases the band's unconventional artistic vision, exceptional arrangements, and virtuous playing. The overwhelming, moving, and powerful result is undeniable: this is a true musical milestone, and it may well pave the way for this excellent international quintet to take its place of honor in today's progressive rock scene.