A (relatively) in-depth analysis of the album Amarok by English musician Mike Oldfield.
Released in 1990 by Virgin Records, Oldfield originally conceived it as an 'angry protest album'. It is presented as a single sixty-minute track of continuous, uninterrupted but constantly changing music.
Although the album was not promoted with singles or a concert tour at the time, a duo comprising American pianist Gus Fogle and bassist Jason Miller performed the piece in April 2012, after it had been transcribed note for note by Welsh composer and arranger Ryan Yard.
'I am told that when men hear its voice, it stays in their ears, they cannot be rid of it. It has many different voices: some happy, but others sad. It roars like a baboon, murmurs like a child, drums like the blazing arms of one thousand drummers, rustles like water in a glass, sings like a lover and laments like a priest...'
William Murray (from the short story included in the album liner notes).
I do hope you enjoy this episode.
Mathew Woodall
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