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CD/DVD Releases: Excalibur: Alan Simon's Trilogy Goes On...

Posted on Monday, September 12 @ 15:00:00 UTC by nightowl

Excalibur: A Conclusion With Strength And Panache!!!

A boxed set: The trilogy Excalibur conceived by Alan Simon announces the next release of an ultimate album with strength and panache. It ism first of all, a real collector boxed set of 51 original titles including the albums Excalibur I La Légende Des Celtes, Excalibur II L'Anneau Des Celtes and Excalibur Le Concert Mythique that will be released by Sony Music September 20.

Two Books: Then two books in French will be published for the Christmas celebrations. First of all a novel: Excalibur La Prophétie De Merlin at Pocket and Hugo and Co., then a beautiful book Excalibur, Les Contrées De l'Imaginaire, a work of 300 pages retracing the genesis of this mad human and artistic adventure (at CPE Editions).

The ultimate studio album: Finally, at the beginning of 2012 will be released the ultimate musical opus of the trilogy: Excalibur III The Origins.

About twenty original titles interpreted by a pleiad of legends folk rock, founding members of mythical groups: Clannad, Runrig, Fairport Convention, Fleetwood Mac, John Helliwell from Supertramp, Jethro Tull, Les Holroyd from Barclay James Harvest, The Silencers, Dun Aengus, Lunasa, The Pentangle, Didier Lockwood, James Wood, the Italian odd choir "I Batti Becchi" but also of young Breton artists among which the group Skilda, guitarist Pat O'May, harpist Cécile Corbel...

Excalibur III The Origins is the fruit of a long gestation and four years of writing. With this consequent effort, Alan Simon wishes to offer a worthy conclusion to his famous musical saga. Leaning on the discoveries made lately by the archaeologists, the 20 titles of this opus retrace the historic odyssey of the first Celtic clans, more than 3000 years ago!

Excalibur III The Origins announces a powerful album to the delirious folk rock orchestrations sustained by the 120 musicians of the symphonic orchestra of Budapest placed under the direction of the American Lee Holdridge (notably known as author of the famous soundtrack of the movie Jonathan Livingston Seagull).

A pure musical madness with an average of 160 tracks by title that required nothing less than nine months of mixing. A final high in color, recorded during three years in eight countries and by more than three hundred musicians.

Otherwise, the publication of September 2011 of rock magazine Koid9 dedicates its front page to Excalibur (including an interview of the main artists who have taken part to this adventure since 1997).

Koid9 is available via internet: koid9.fanzine.free.fr

Excalibur / Some references:

1999:
  - After several years of writing, Alan Simon publishes by Sony the album Excalibur I La Légende Des Celtes. Unexpected success. The album is today is platinum disk.

  - Rennes, October 12, 1999. Premiere of Excalibur in public to a crowded room (6000 spectators), the entire album is played to the audience.

  - Excalibur Le Concert Mythique with Roger Hodgson, ex co-leader of Supertramp; Fairport Convention; Tri Yann; Dan ar Braz; Jacqui McShee, Carlos Nuñez...

2000:
  - During the summer, Excalibur is played before 30,000 spectators (Paris Bercy, Quimper festival of Cornouaille, Nantes etc...).

2007:
  - It is after 6 years of waiting that the public finally discovers the second opus: Excalibur L'Anneau Des Celtes, bringing together the founding members of Yes, King Crimson, the Moody Blues, Alan Parsons but also Merzhin, Flook and always the emblematic Fairport Convention... The album and its author receive two Grammy Awards in USA in March 2008.

2009 / 2011:
  - Excalibur finally takes the road, direction Germany. It is a "big show" version (including 200 artists: musicians, comedians and dancers) that the German public discovers.

  - 20,000 spectators for the Premiere to the castle of Kaltenberg, then more than 100,000 spectators during the 21 dates of the tour 2010/2011 that will furrow Germany and Switzerland.

2012:
  - Release of the ultimate album of the trilogy Excalibur III The Origins. An event out of norms bringing together numerous legends. Likely return on stage for an event in Brittany during the summer 2012.

www.excaliburtrilogy.com


Photograph: Agence GLS: from left to right: Alan Simon, Pat O'May, Martin Barre from Jethro Tull, John Heliwell from Supertramp, Konan Mevel from Skilda

*If you are familiar with Tempest... then the album cover might look familiar... the same image was used for their Turn Of The Wheel CD. If not exactly the same, very darn close. John "Bobo" Bollenberg reviewed Excalibur II -ed.

[Source: Michèle "Micky" Laurent; Excalibur III cover: Mich&eagrave;le Laurent*]

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