Thursday 18 July 2013

Henry: Portraits from Tudor Times (Anthony Phillips, 1977)

Is it because of this renaissance music inspiration? Or maybe for its pastoral and rarefied 12 string guitars? No, I think I love this suite because of him, Anthony Phillips and his passion for good melodies and melancholy atmospheres. This track comes from Ant's first album, "The Geese And The Ghost" and it's a 14 minute epic in seven movements, depicting life and death of  Henry, a Tudor era knight, during the long war against France. Two main features single out this track: the strong contrast between quiet and loud moments and, of course, the little chamber orchestra accompanying Ant's and Mike Rutherford's guitars.

I also like this cover. Do you?

You'll find many wind instruments, with John Hackett's flute playing the lead role. The final effect is an Old England tapestry and a delicate romantic fresco, brighter than "Trespass" songs but more intimate than any Genesis track. One may love or hate Ant's music, but never say he's not perfectly coherent and sincere. He lives in a world of his own and his music's a door to go in and take a look.

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