| ......................................THE BAND AND RECORD OF THE MONTH |
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| . | APRIL 2013 |
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Clive Nolan born on 30 June 1961. He is a British musician, composer and producer who has played a prominent role in the recent development of Progressive Rock and also Neo-Prog style. He has started his career playing keyboard at the "Pendragon" band, in the meantime, he actively participated in the bands as "Shadowland", "Strangers on a Train" and "Arena", as well as writing lyrics for "Arena", also he produced and co-produced albums for several other important bands like "Caamora", "Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman", "Casino" and "Neo". One of the important facts of his career, was when Clive Nolan was deservedly recognized as a great musician and composer, winning an "A. L. C. M" composition diploma, from the London College of Music. Moreover, he won a trophy and two medals at the composers competition in the Cheltenham Music Festival. In 2008, as a composer and musical director, Clive Nolan participated in the Rock Opera titled as "She", a awesome Progressive Rock musical show, very well commented around important magazines and several internet sites. In 2010 the show was again performed in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Now, Clive Nolan returns with another musical delight, titled as "Alchemy", an impressive, fantastic and amazing Rock Opera, where this master and magician of big musical shows, reveals his newest fantasy. According Clive Nolan, the main scope, from this Musical Rock Opera, is based on the Victorian age, an adventure experienced, around the year 1842, where the scenario is filled of an epic, dark and mysterious atmosphere, spread over two cds, divided into two acts, with almost two hours of a pure musical delight. The story on the "Alchemy" unfolds amazingly into many musical passages, where the emphasis is clearly on the vocal performances, a cast of singers, well selected in the world of progressive rock performers, composed by Tracy Hitchings ("Landmarq" and "Strangers On A Train"), Andy Sears ("Twelfth Night"), Paul Manzi ("Arena"), Damian Wilson ("Threshold"), Paul Menel (ex-"IQ"), David Clifford ("Red Jasper"), Agnieszka Swita ("Caamora") and Noel Calcaterra (a Uruguayan singer/ actress). Together this wonderful cast of singers, we have an impressive instumental, under the regency of the mister Nolan, a group, once again, very well selected by the master of the opera, keyboards, guitars, bass, drums, piano and violin are the instruments, in conjunction, lead the music as the basis and support for the singers, in the same way a symphony orchestra performs in a traditional Opera. "Alchemy" is a impressive and ambitious project well written by Clive Nolan, I'm sure that all have enjoyed his previous albuns, mainly, his performance at "She", also on the bands such as "Arena", "Strangers On A Train" and "Pendragon", or fans of projects like "Phantom of the Opera", "Opera Tommy", "The Wall", "Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Centre of the Earth", will stay quite impressed by Mr. Nolan's latest project called "Alchemy". Brilliant and fantastic, an amazing album and production, highly recommendable... The
line-up on Alchemy album are:
Singers
and Vocals:
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ALCHEMY
- CLIVE NOLAN
Clive Nolan is a British musician, composer and producer who has played a prominent role in the recent development of progressive and symphonic rock. Born in Gloucestershire, he was a pupil at Wycliffe College and King's School, Gloucester. He completed his B. Mus and M. Mus degrees at London University where he studied composition, orchestration and conducting. He has been the regular keyboard player in Pendragon (1986�present), Shadowland (1992�present), Strangers on a Train (1993�1994), Arena (1995�present) and Caamora (2006�present) as well as writing music and lyrics for Arena, Shadowland, Caamora and numerous other projects.
Nolan is the founder member of The Caamora Theatre Company formed to produce and perform the Clive Nolan musicals. The premiere of his first musical 'She' took place in Katowice Wyspianski Theatre in Poland in October 2007. Subsequently, full theatrical performances of 'She' were performed in January 2010 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, followed by the eight-man 'She in Concert' version in Holland in September 2011. In February 2012 theatrical version of 'She' debuted in the UK in Cheltenham Playhouse Theatre. The concert version of 'Alchemy' was performed and recorded for the DVD in February 2013 at the Katowice Teatr Slaski in Poland. He was voted Best Keyboard Player by Classic Rock Society in the years: 1995, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2009, 2010, and 2011. In 2010 the Bolivian government awarded him with the title of Honorary Visitor to Santa Cruz, Bolivia for his theatre work in the city of Santa Cruz. Alchemy is an ancient pseudoscience chiefly concerned with the transmutation of base metals into gold and silver, with the discovery of a single effective cure for all diseases, with a way to extend life indefinitely and with the manufacture of artificial Life." 'Alchemy' is a tale that reaches deep into the mysteries that mankind has striven to solve for centuries: the story of the shadowy world of alchemy� dark science� and the supernatural. This is a Victorian �Steampunk� tale of adventure, passion, betrayal and revenge� The search for long lost secrets� the lust for retribution and the quest for the greatest power on earth. It�s a race for the ultimate prize� transforming lead into gold, changing death into life, or perhaps turning hatred into love. Professor Samuel King embarks on a quest to find the three hidden artefacts left behind by alchemist, Thomas Anzeray. Initially he is aided and later betrayed by Lord Jagman, who believes King to be dead. Jagman pursues the artefacts, with no heed for human life or feeling. He tricks some vital information from a helpless girl, Amelia, imprisoned in Newgate for unpaid debts. She finds herself double-crossed and sentenced for public execution, but as she is taken to the scaffold before the baying crowd, she is saved by a daring escape plan from King and his friends, Eva and William. It is now a race against time between King and Jagman to secure the artefacts and perform the long lost �Anzeray Resurrection�, which would open the doorway between life and death... Alchemy' by Clive Nolan Prologue: (1842, Somewhere in the Italian Alps) There is a gunshot! As the report echoes around the mountains, a body falls off the edge of the plateau, leaving Lord Henry Jagman standing there with a smoking gun in his hand. His associate, Benjamin Greaves, packs down the camp as Jagman reflects on the current state of affairs. Finally, he has everything he requires to reach his goal. It is simply a case of studying the clues. All he needs now� is time! ACT I Scene
1:
Months have passed since the incident in the Alps. Amelia
Darvas is languishing in debtors� prison. Her mother died in childbirth,
and her father struggled with ill fortune and bad business decisions until
the family fortune was lost. Her father had died in a duel, She is alone now. Not a friend in the world. That evening, Jagman visits her cell, and offers to clear Amelia�s debts and secure her immediate freedom in exchange for the location of the Labyrinth. Desperate to clear her family name, Amelia agrees to the deal and reveals that it can be found in the Black Forest within the German Confederation, in a place called �Die Halbmond-Lichtung� (The Half-Moon Clearing). With that vital information revealed, Amelia has no further value to Jagman and he slaps her to the floor, taunting her gullible nature. He gloats about how easy it is to manipulate people and then he decides to �tidy up� loose ends by engineering Amelia�s execution for �treason�. Scene
2:
A few days later Amelia is taken outside the walls of Newgate Prison to the cries of the baying crowd, and dragged towards the scaffold. She is proud and defiant � she curses Jagman for his actions, and even in this desperate situation Amelia swears revenge, in this life or the next. Suddenly there are some small explosions and the crowd is swamped by plumes of thick green smoke pervading the air. People are confused and blinded by the dense fog. Through the haze Amelia sees two hooded figures threading their way towards her. Further away, there is another man, again masked, leaning on a stick, observing the situation. A scuffle ensues, and within seconds Amelia has been freed. With the help of the three mystery figures, she is ushered away into the gloomy side streets, and lost in the confusion. Scene
3:
After eluding the guards and covering their tracks through the streets of London, Amelia and her saviours eventually reach Southwark Bridge. Masks are removed and Amelia is introduced to Professor Samuel King, William Gardelle and Eva Bonaduce. After William receives a rather cold reception, the professor tries to explain the urgency of the situation, and discovers that Jagman now knows the whereabouts of the Labyrinth. Amelia, still shocked by her recent experiences, is filled with resentment and a desire for revenge against Jagman. She reacts aggressively, but is warned off by Eva, who seems devoted to the protection of Samuel King. In a confrontation between Eva and Amelia, Eva explains how she found King, badly injured in the Italian Alps. She nursed him back from the brink of death, and has vowed to assist him in bringing down Jagman.
Eventually they leave the bridge, with Gardelle hanging back, as he ponders his feelings for Amelia. Scene
4:
The refuge is busy, but no one is interested in the quartet as they sit in a corner talking. King has rooms above the refuge and his financial contributions enable him to remain anonymous here. King explains to Amelia what has been happening to lead them to this moment� King had been a keen student of the great alchemists, particularly Thomas Anzeray (1535 -1607). After finding several letters written by Anzeray to his disciples, he realised that he might have the key to discovering Anzeray�s greatest legacy� the path between life and death, known in legend as the �Anzeray Resurrection�. Towards the end of his life, Anzeray was aware that enemies were threatening to steal his work. He went on a journey, splitting his discovery into three parts and hiding them across Europe. After that journey Anzeray was never seen again. King
deciphered clues in the letter, revealing that there were three artifacts:
a Journal, a Skull and a Casket of Seven Sacred Stones. Thanks to these
letters and years of study King was finally ready to search for the artifacts
and reconstruct the legendary �Anzeray Resurrection�. Such a quest, however,
would be expensive and complex. It was clear that he They traveled into the Italian Alps where they managed to unearth Anzeray�s Journal. As King browsed through the book, he read a stark warning from the Alchemist, that mankind may not be ready for this discovery. It could cause cataclysmic disaster to the world, if it should fall into the wrong hands. King told Jagman that these artifacts should remain undiscovered, but was betrayed. Jagman shot him and left him for dead. Thanks to the ministrations of Eva, King survived, but he hopes that Jagman is unaware of his survival. Just as Amelia is trying to take in all this information, Gardelle catches a girl trying to pick his pockets. Her name is Jessamine, and despite the indignation of Gardelle and Eva, Amelia intercedes suggesting that kindness would be better than punishment. King brings calm to the argument, reminding Gardelle that he is in fact a thief also, and that is how he first met the Professor. King then organises food and clothing for the girl. Jessamine remains somewhat defiant as to her activities, but is appreciative of King�s generosity. The four then return to the matter at hand. Thanks to Amelia, they now know that the Casket of Sacred Stones is hidden in The Labyrinth in the German Confederation. However, as with Henry Jagman, they are in the dark as to how to negotiate the web of paths down there, and failure to know the way would lead to certain death. In the meantime, King suggests to Gardelle and Eva that they break into Jagman�s town house in an attempt to find out where the skull is hidden. Amelia offers to go too, but is prevented on the basis that her wish for revenge would be too powerful a force, and could jeopardize the whole mission. The Professor then takes the opportunity to teach Amelia the need for patience and planning. Scene
5:
Gardelle and Eva break into the house, and creep around Jagman�s study. They search for, and find, some key information. Suddenly they hear a noise, and are forced to hide. Ben Greaves has been drinking, and stumbles into the study, closely followed by the housekeeper, Mrs. Muncey. She is not happy about this visitor. He has been sent by Jagman to collect some items for him. Greaves and Muncey argue, whilst giving away vital information about the Skull. It is now hidden somewhere in Highgate Cemetery. The exact location is still a mystery, but when the light of the full moon shines through the �angel�s harp�, they will know where to look. The full moon takes place on the following night and Jagman plans to gather the Hellfire Club at Highgate for some revelry, during which he intends to procure the Skull. After that he will set sail for the German Confederation in search of the third artifact, the Casket of Stones. Greaves departs the study, followed by the scolding Mrs. Muncey, and William and Eva are left to enjoy their newfound information. Scene
6:
King is seen giving some money to the pickpocket Jessamine who then leaves. Amelia enters, impatiently wondering if there is news from Gardelle or Eva. There is none. Absently, she sings to herself. King asks her the origin of this song, and Amelia explains that it was the only other thing her father left her� a lullaby that he would sing to her as a child. Suddenly Gardelle and Eva arrive back. They are excited and eager to tell King the news. Eva presents the Professor with some papers, from which he soon realises that the Skull they seek, belongs to Anzeray himself! He is then told of the conversation between Ben Greaves and Mrs. Muncey, revealing that the Skull lies in Highgate Cemetery. They decide to disguise themselves as gypsies and infiltrate the Hellfire Club festivities; Amelia slips out onto the roof of the building� Scene
7:
Gardelle finds Amelia sitting pensively on the roof, staring over the London skyline. He tries to reassure her that things have a habit of working out. Despite her initial cold reaction towards William, Amelia values his efforts but warns him that she is running from a dark shadow that has ruined her life and all that she has known and loved. The shadow�s name is Lord Henry Jagman, and she will not rest until justice has been served. For her, revenge is paramount! Scene
8:
The
next night is the full moon, and the gathering of the Hellfire Club in
Highgate Cemetery. Jagman opens proceedings by wishing everyone a As the party begins, Jagman is lost in the crowd. The clock strikes midnight and a small band of gypsies appear. Amelia and her friends have arrived. She soon has the revelers attention and offers to read palms for them, promising to reveal their futures. All the time she and her �musicians� (Gardelle, King and Eva) are searching for the statue of the angel and the harp. Amelia, however, is more interested in finding Jagman, but Gardelle is trying to keep her under control. He has already taken responsibility for Amelia, his feelings being clear to King and Eva. As the party continues, they find the statue of the angel, and sure enough the light of the moon shines through and marks a grave� but the earth has already been disturbed! In the hole there is a box, but it is now empty� the Skull is gone! King concludes that their last chance is to get to the German Confederation and beat Jagman to the final artifact at all costs. Amelia refuses to leave, because she still wishes to find Jagman. Eventually, William manages to coax her away from the party. This is now a deadly race for the third and final artifact! ACT II Scene
1:
The Professor and his party stand at the mouth of the Labyrinth, unsure of how to find their way through the puzzle. The Labyrinth is reputed to have been the death of many people who have tried to negotiate the long winding passages and deadly traps.
The Professor takes out the Stones and replaces them with seven worthless rocks he has in his pocket, reminding Amelia it is important to be prepared for any eventuality. He gives the real Stones to her for safekeeping. Then, they leave the Labyrinth. Scene
2:
Lying in wait in the Half Moon Clearing is a band of mercenaries, led by Milosh. They have been hired by Jagman to capture and kill King and his people, once they have the Casket of Stones. Jagman has been aware of King�s survival for a while now. As
King and the others emerge from the underground Labyrinth, they are set
upon and captured by the mercenaries. Milosh takes the Casket, and apologises
for their impending demise. The Professor pleads for a moment to be heard
before such drastic action. He then offers the band limitless wealth due
to his command and understanding of alchemy. He proceeds to demonstrate
the turning of lead into gold by the means of a special Moments later, Jagman arrives accompanied by Greaves. He is incandescent with anger when he discovers the mercenaries have failed to kill King, and indeed the stones are not the real ones. Milosh is immediately �punished� and then Jagman sends Greaves to get the Stones� whatever it takes! Lord Henry Jagman, however, cannot resist taking a moment to pause and explain the extremity of his actions to the remaining mercenaries, just in case they are not clear on his determination to succeed. Scene
3:
As the sun rises, Amelia and Gardelle are taking a shortcut to the docks, where they plan to meet up with the Professor and Eva. Amelia has finally warmed to Gardelle and the bond they share has grown into something much more. They share a moment of closeness. Suddenly, Greaves and a couple of the mercenaries appear. They are intent upon regaining the Stones and a fight ensues. In the clash Amelia saves Gardelle�s life by stepping in the way of Greaves� knife. She falls to the ground as Greaves and his henchmen escape with the Stones.
Scene
4:
It is now a race against time for the Professor to stop Jagman from performing the �Anzeray Resurrection�, but spirits are low after the loss of Amelia. Gardelle is bereft as the Captain leads the eulogy for Amelia�s burial at sea. It takes all of King�s powers of persuasion to remind Gardelle that he cannot falter in their task, even after such a loss.
Scene
5:
It is a demoralised group that returns to King�s rooms. They have none of the artifacts, Amelia is dead, and they do not know where the �Anzeray Resurrection� is to be held. Does King have any cards left to play? Surely things could not get any worse! Strangely, King is phlegmatic about the situation, and chooses to sleep, while Gardelle keeps watch downstairs, and Eva keeps watch over King. This gives the girl a moment to reflect on how things may be between her and the Professor. Suddenly the door bursts open: Jessamine has led Jagman and his henchmen to King�s hiding place. Gardelle has been captured and Jagman takes great pleasure in rewarding Jessamine well for her help and information. But is this really a betrayal? King is strangely calm about the situation. He prevents Eva from attacking Jessamine, explaining quietly that he in fact paid the pickpocket to betray them. He is relying on Jagman�s pride and vanity to ensure that they are all taken to witness the ritual. To witness Jagman�s �finest moment�� He is right! Scene
6:
Jagman is the master of ceremonies, as the members of the Hellfire Club look on, resplendent in their purple robes. There is a fire burning beside an altar. The Skull and the Stones are in place and Jagman is reading from the Journal. King and his friends are forced to witness Jagman�s triumph, watched by a gun-wielding Ben Greaves. Suddenly there is a low rumble, and a space near the altar seems to literally tear apart. The gateway between life and death!
Anzeray curses Jagman for his greed and stupidity, and the terrified members of the Hellfire Club are dragged down through the gateway into oblivion. As the shadows move towards King, Gardelle and Eva, Amelia protects them, and then points to a cowering figure in the corner. It is Jagman. He pleads for mercy as the shadows pull him down, screaming, through the gateway. In the following calm, Amelia and Gardelle share one more moment together. He wants to go with her, but she will not let him, promising that she will be there for him when the right time comes. With that, Amelia once more departs. Anzeray is last to leave, instructing King to destroy the artifacts, for the sake of both the living and the dead. Most important is the Journal, which, above all, must no longer exist. The gateway closes behind Anzeray. The Professor tells Eva to lead the devastated Gardelle away. �Did they all have to die?� she asks King. He has no real answer except to point out that the sun is rising and they are still alive. The Professor throws the Stones, the Skull and the Journal onto the fire. He starts to walk away, but on an irresistible urge he pauses, and then returns. He plucks the journal from the flames and puts it inside his coat. Only now does he finally leave. Perhaps the story is not yet over� |
New
Release
"Alchemy" Act I 01)
Prologue/Overture
Act II 01)
The Labyrinth
Clive Nolan - Musical Director. David Clifford - Director. Christopher Longman - Co-Director. Mark Westwood - Technical Advisor. Dave Whitlock - Lighting Designer. Alec Morris - Lighting Designer. Bilil Amara - Choreography. Mike Barwick - Set Designer. Natalie Morgan - Costume Designer. Beth Turner - Costumes for Mr. Nolan and Mr. Sears. DDorothy Frances - Choir Master. Graeme Bell - Graphic Designer / Backstage Technician. Simon Hill - Backstage Technician. Iain Richardson - Backstage Technician. Marcel Haster � The Video Reporter. Neil Palfreyman � Photography. Kim Carter � Photography. Claudio Momberg � Website Implementation and Maintenance. Magdalena Grabias � Webmistress / Internet Liaison/ Backstage Coordination. Clive Nolan - Music - bands and selected releases: Arena:
Songs
from the Lion's Cage (1994), Pride (1995),
Welcome
to the Stage (1997), The Visitor (1998),
Immortal?
(2000), Breakfast in Biarritz (2001),
Contagion
(2002), Caught in the Act (dvd 2003),
Live and Life
(2004), Pepper's Ghost (2005),
Smoke and Mirrors
(dvd 2006), The Seventh Degree of Separation (2011)
"Alchemy"
by Clive Nolan was released by
Clive
Nolan Site
Also
you can visit Alchemy at:
"Alchemy" by Clive Nolan. The Katowice Premiere. |
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more information and every thing about the musicians and band, please visit
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but
not before entrusting a rather strange family secret to Amelia � the location
of an underground labyrinth. Apart from that, Amelia was left with nothing
but debts. This has led to her current predicament in Newgate Prison -
imprisoned for owing money.
would
need a benefactor. Support was offered to him by the wealthy Lord Henry
Jagman, a notorious member of the Hellfire Club, but also a well known
explorer and adventurer. Despite the darker rumours surrounding Jagman,
King elected to accept him as a partner in the search to rediscover the
�Anzeray Resurrection�.
good
time, and promising that soon he will share with them all what is possibly
the greatest discovery in history. They must be patient just a little longer
and then he will amaze the world.
It
is then that King makes the connection between Amelia�s lullaby and markings
above the entrance. She already holds the key, taught to her as a child,
by her father. Gardelle is far from convinced about this solution, but
elects to trust in Amelia. Tentatively they walk through the corridors
and successfully claim the Casket of Sacred Stones.
powder.
This is in fact a simple slight of hand. King keeps the mercenaries� rapt
attention by appealing to their sense of greed. By the time the Professor
produces the gold, Milosh and his compatriots are all convinced of imminent
fortune. During the celebrations, King and his friends escape. Gardelle
and Amelia go in one direction, King and Eva, another. They agree to meet
at the harbour in Hamburg.
Gardelle
is shocked and helpless as he tries to comfort Amelia. She makes him promise
that he will complete the mission to stop Jagman, and as they embrace,
Amelia dies.
As
the Phaedra threads its way through the coastal fogs of England, they bid
farewell to Amelia.
Through
the gateway, Anzeray returns to the living plane. Jagman is jubilant, and
claims his right to the power over life and death. After seeming to compliment
Jagman on his success, it becomes clear that Thomas Anzeray is far from
impressed. As he speaks, more shadows arrive through the gateway - led
by Amelia!
