Mike Oldfield - Music Of The Spheres

[postscript]

milewalker said:

Hello all

MOTS comes out in the US on March 25, so I will likely pick it up next weekend. I have several of Oldfields older works (Tubular Bells, Hergest Rigde, Omnidawn etc) anyway.

I am not surprised that the reviews I have seen from the US thus far do not mention Hayley as a contributing artist. If you look at the product description on Amazon (US) for example, it contains no mention of Hayley - and one gets the sense that her contribution here from their point of view was purely a professional convenience. They needed a soprano, and Hayley was available. With this in mind, I am going to operate under the assumption that while it is certainly beautiful, it isnt going to do much for her overall profile (outside of the UK anyway) - at least until other events prove me wrong.....

Jon

Interesting, Jon. My expectation is looking to Horner. Where is that CD by the way, surely that will hit US first?
Peter S

[Dave]

Hello everyone,

Music of the Spheres has entered the UK main album chart at no. 9 and it is top of the Classical Chart. I *think* that makes it the highest charting classical album ever in the UK by a contemporary classical composer (i.e. "new" classical music) - apart from Soundtracks (like Titanic!).

Obviously, film soundtracks are a completely different breed so well done to Mike - and well done to Hayley for being an important part of two consecutive top 10 (and no. 1 classical) albums.

Let us hope these have a positive impact on Hayley's visibility in the UK and on how well she does at the Classical Brits, with her next album... and of course at her forthcoming concerts' series.

Cheers, Dave

[martindn]

colin said:

Hi

I've downloaded the live versions and have just listened to them. The live version of On My Heart is giving my goosebumps goosebumps - it is impossibly beautiful.

Best regards

Colin

Yes, I agree, but I thought that about Hayley's voice the first time I heard her sing. I have always felt that her records did not do her justice.
But this one does!! For the first time ever I think that wonderful delicacy that her voice has comes through properly. This is I think the best recording yet of Hayley's voice, It is a beautiful song too! The live performance too sounds wonderful.

Martin

[dutchjoyce]

Today my copy of MOTS, arrived from CdWOW, free delivery, and i paid Euro 12.99. I think it is from the UK, because it has the same advertisement of Hayley 's album Treasure included.
BTW,the Jonathan Ansell album arrived too!!!)

Greetz JOYCE.

[Dave]

Hi Joyce and well done, I hope you enjoy MoTS (all of it!) as much as I've done over the last week!

I now have some more details everyone of how the album did in the Uk charts last week, its first week - here is the report from Music Week magazine today:

No. 9 - Mike Oldfield

Fairly unsuccessful with his recent rock albums, 54 year-old Mike Oldfield turns to classical music for his second Mercury [label] album, Music of the Spheres and is rewarded with a number one debut on the classical chart and a number nine debut on the regular albums chart on sales of 21,568.

Oldfield's 27th entry to the published (Top 75) albums chart, it is way more successful than his Mercury label debut, Light & Shade, which peaked at a lowly no. 175 in 2005 and sold only 12,215 copies [in total].

So I think it's safe to say that this album is already a huge success compared to Mike's recent albums. Well done to him and to Hayley for her contribution!

Incidentally, it is currently no. 15 in the midweek sales charts for its second week, the drop from its first week position (so far) being the smallest of all seven new entries in last week's top 20. Let us hope this is because the wider music buying public are starting to realise the true quality of this production and that it will soon stabilise in the charts and continue selling well. It certainly isn't because it's getting airplay - as usual for anything vaguely "classical", only the minority station Classic FM seems to be doing this.

Cheers, Dave

[thomas]

graemek said:

Hi Graeme!

That's a really stunning CD cover. You should do that professionally! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

I wonder what Hayley would say about it if you printed it out and gave her for signing the next time. I'm sure she will love it.

Best wishes,
Thomas

[Raymond]

Hello all,

I have just bought my copy today and I love it. I think I will go to find other albums of Mike Oldfield.

Cheers,
Raymond

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

Classic FM were late putting up the voting list for today's Most Wanted, so I missed it yesterday. However, I listened to the show today, and there was Hayley at No.6 singing 'On My Heart'.

Richard

[graemek]

thomas said:

graemek said:

i71.photobucket.com/albums/i145/graemar/musicofthespherescover2.jpg

Hi Graeme!
I wonder what Hayley would say about it if you printed it out and gave her for signing the next time. I'm sure she will love it.
Best wishes,
Thomas

Thomas, thats a good idea. My chances of seeing her again are rather remote. What if ?............look in your PM inbox.
Graeme

[comet]

Hayley and Mike Oldfield together. I am really quite pleased about this.
Hayley has now tied together the music I listened to as a teenager to the music I listen to now.
My children often refer to Tubular Bells as "Sunday Music" because I often played it while we were having dinner on a
Sunday afternoon.

Music of the Spheres does not seem to have pieces directly from Tubular Bells,
but it does have impressions of it or hints of sounding similar which I find comforting and reassuring
that this is part of the growth of the same branch of music I have loved for so many years (wow 35 years)
I am so pleased that our favourite songbird has landed on this branch to contribute a couple of fresh blossoms to it.

Just as Mark mentioned I got Mikes first five albums as they were released, Then I lost touch for a while as mortgage repayments
and family took priority, I picked up again in 1992 when Tubular Bells ll came out and I still play it regularly these days.

[Paddy]

comet said:

Hayley and Mike Oldfield together. I am really quite pleased about this.
Hayley has now tied together the music I listened to as a teenager to the music I listen to now.
My children often refer to Tubular Bells as "Sunday Music" because I often played it while we were having dinner on a
Sunday afternoon.

Music of the Spheres does not seem to have pieces directly from Tubular Bells,
but it does have impressions of it or hints of sounding similar which I find comforting and reassuring
that this is part of the growth of the same branch of music I have loved for so many years (wow 35 years)

I am so pleased that our favourite songbird has landed on this branch to contribute a couple of fresh blossoms to it.

Just as Mark mentioned I got Mikes first five albums as they were released, Then I lost touch for a while as mortgage repayments
and family took priority, I picked up again in 1992 when Tubular Bells ll came out and I still play it regularly these days.

.

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

Here's a rather negative review from The Australian, but it does include a favourable comment about Hayley's contribution.

Exorcist required for classical Tubular Bells
FEATURE CD / CLASSICAL: Ian Cuthbertson | April 26, 2008

ON his first completely classical outing, Mike Oldfield falters by leaning too heavily on his past.

The criticism that Oldfield has never moved beyond his 1973 hit Tubular Bells is generally made by those who have never heard works such as the masterful Ommadawn (1975), the incomparable Incantations (1978), the chaotically brilliant 60-minute track Amarok (1990) and the epically space age The Songs of Distant Earth (1994).

Each of these was so intricately constructed, so full of layered melodies, motifs and instrumental climaxes that, even after countless plays, they continue to reveal new facets. Music of the Spheres, on the other hand, will play right into the hands of Oldfield detractors who maintain that he had only one idea, which he constantly reiterates.

I'm not sure who Music of the Spheres will appeal to. Its 14 tracks are far too episodic to mean very much to classical purists and its one-dimensional structure is likely to alienate fans of his normally more complex fare. At least three of the tracks (Harbinger, The Tempest and Harbinger Reprise) are restatements of the opening theme of Tubular Bells, admittedly with some fine variations, perhaps courtesy of a solid helping hand from conductor Karl Jenkins.

Only the gorgeous Silhouette, which harks back to the kind of thumping short-form instrumental Oldfield was tossing out in the 1980s like confetti, will cause a swoon. Also excellent is On My Heart, which features Hayley Westenra.

But far too much of Music of the Spheres is pleasantly orchestrated soundtrack fare, with a couple of lovely themes, zillions of scales on the piano courtesy of noted but under-used pianist Lang Lang, and altogether too much Tubular Bells.

Music of the Spheres
Mike Oldfield (Universal)

Richard

[drew]

Mar 13, 2008 13:57:53 GMT @david23zgz said:

Hello!

I am a Spanish fan of Mike Oldfield and the past Friday 7 march I had the pleasure to view the concert of presentation of Music of the Spheres in the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao.

The performance of Hayley was wonderful!!!

She sang in direct of a skillful form, with a precious voice, the two songs of the disc: On my heart and On my heart reprise. And she was very handsome and attractive.

You can view and extrack of On my heart live in Bilbao:

es.youtube.com/watch?v=EhZg0Vl1JCo (00:27)

In addition, after the concert, it took care of to us amiably a group of Spanish fans of Mike Oldfield. It is very likeable and amiable, and we became a photography that you can see here:

www.mikeoldfieldblog.com/2008/03/12/una-fotografia-con-hayley-westenra/

Also it signed a dedication to us to Spanish fans of Mike Oldfield in a paper of the score of the orchestra:

www.flickr.com/photos/mikeoldfieldblog/2324704113/sizes/l/
Greeting from Spain.
Mike Oldfield Blog
www.mikeoldfieldblog.com

I asked Steve on Sunday about the possibility of further concerts of Music of the Spheres. He said no for UK but Spain and Germany are possibilities.

[graemek]

Thanks to Thomas,
This (custom) CD cover for my downloaded copy of Music of the Spheres has been half way been around the world, happily signed by Hayley at Classical Brits function & returned here safely.
Here it is & Hayley has used a nice thin pen. Many thanks Hayley & Thomas.



Graeme

[Umbobo]

Thats Really Awsome graemek you Should really look into making CD covers.
Im glad Hayley had to opportunity to see it and Sign it!