Lindh, Pär and Bjørn Johansson - Dreamsongs From Middle Earth

Year of Release: 2004
Label: Crimsonic
Catalog Number: CLSCD 108
Format: CD
Total Time: 63:34:00

Frodo and the elves have sailed away from Mithlond, the Grey Havens in the long firth of Lune. Sam and friends are in tears, and the credits roll on the final installment of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy and the saga has finally ended.

Almost.

What Jackson didn't know, but Lindh and Johansen do know, is that Frodo then has a series of ten dreams which take him through the story of the Rings - not step by step, but in a vague way, reliving the memories and the emotions and the spirit of those times. This extension of the trilogy was developed jointly by P?r Lindh and Bj?rn Johansson, and the ten tracks of Dreamsongs From Middle Earth are entitled "Dream One", "Dream Two", and so on. In 1996 Lindh and Johansson released Bilbo, which described events before the trilogy. And just as LoTR is a more serious work of literature than The Hobbit was, so Dreamsongs is a deeper, more complex piece of music than Bilbo. This album is purely instrumental ? aside from the ethereal, wordless vocals of Magdalena Hagberg ? and you'll need to follow the liner notes to know what portions of the story are depicted by each cut.

P?r Lindh developed a Tolkien obsession as a teenager, and wrote songs to support the story line. Prior to releasing the Bilbo album he endured difficult negotiations with the Tolkien estate, who finally granted permission as long as the lyrics contained no text lifted directly from the book. With this album there are no lyrics so Lindh was able to extend his musical interpretations unhindered, and after all these years, some of those pieces he developed as a youngster have found their way into publication.

The album is a joint collaboration of P?r Lindh and Bj?rn Johansson, who were joined by a variety of musicians playing instruments as diverse as a harp, french horn and trombone. P?r is on keys (Mellotron, Hammond, piano and synthesizers), while Bj?rn plays strings and wind (guitars, bouzoka, wind synthesizer, bassoon, and a tin whistle ? among others). Roine Stolt plays bass, and add a choir ensemble and you're in for some deeply textured, complex, but laid back progressive music.

Both artists contributed compositions: The first few tracks were written by Lindh, and were the genesis of the album. The middle batch were Johansson compositions, and the final section was a collaborative effort This music is laid back and elegant, and production was done by the artists, and is a 64-channel success.

Tolkien inspireations have occurred in progressive music many hundreds of times. Make no mistake ? Dreamsongs is a wonderful example of sophisticated modern symphonic music and deserves a place in your collection. But P?r, it's time for progressive music to leave the Shire!

Tracklisting:
Dream One / Dream Two / Dream Three / Dream Four / Dream Five / Dream Six / Dream Seven / Dream Eight / Dream Nine / Dream Ten

Musicians:
Pär Lindh - Mellotron Mk. V, Hammond B3, C3, L-100 Leslies 147 & 760, church organ, grand piano, harpsichord, various synthesizers, percussion
Bj&ouslash;rn Johansson - classical guitar, 12-string guitar, 6-string steel guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, sitar, zither, mandolin, bouzoki, bassoon, tin whistle, low whistle, Akai S2000 sampler (i.e. wind synthesizer), synthesizers, jingle bells, vibrastrap, casaba, bass
Magdalena Hagberg - backing vocals
Roine Stolt - bass
Lovisa Stenberg - harp
Niclas Blixt - trumpet & French Horn
Nisse Mannerfeldt - euphonium tenor & bass trombone
Erik Hellerstedt / Par Lindh - choir arrangement
Macogall choir ensemble, Director: Erik Hellerstedt

Discography:
Gothic Impressions (1994/2004)
Rondo (EP) (w/ Bjørn Johansson) (1995)
Bilbo (w/ Bjørn Johansson) (1996)
Mundus Incompertus (1997)
Live In America (1999)
Veni Vidi Vici (2001)
Live In Iceland (2002)
Dreamsongs From Middle Earth (w/ Bjørn Johansson) (2004)
Live In Poland (2008)
Time Mirror (2011)

Live In Poland (DVD) (2008)

Genre: Symphonic Prog

Origin SE

Added: April 18th 2004
Reviewer: Duncan N Glenday
Score:
Artist website: www.parlindh.com
Hits: 2535
Language: english