The Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour (Double Disc) [DVD]

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Smith is strongly influenced by Carl Orff’s concept of ‘Theatrum mundi’ in which music, movement and speech are all inseparable to the performance. Tubular Bells 50 th Anniverary Tour is visually stunning, with dazzling performances by Circa, an Australian acrobatic circus company. Tightly choreographed by Yaron Lifschitz, the performers move to the music in creative ways, conveying something both of the piece’s mystery and its joyousness. Behind them on the stage an ever-changing glowing sphere rotates, suggestive of the earth, but only towards the end of the performance taking on the distinctive colours and patterns of our planet as seen from space. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mike Oldfield’s ‘ Tubular Bells’, the multi-million-selling and multi-award-winning album is being performed live in concert across the UK. Tonight at the Brighton Dome was the second show of the celebratory UK tour. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) Along with the musicians, I’m really thrilled to be offering this beautiful re-imagined version of Tubular Bells to a wider audience up and down the country. The show was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in August 2021 to great acclaim as an early celebration of and tribute to Mike - who in my view is one of England’s greatest composers in the last century. Along with the musicians, it’s a real privilege to be performing this extraordinary work. It’s as fresh today as it was when Mike created it in 1971 - and I love having the chance to bring it to new audiences as well as those who, like me, are still captivated by it whenever they hear it.

This is a transformation, without a single note changed from the original, but bursting with a fresh vitality, audio theatrical elements, movement, light, and with a small ensemble of musicians (some of the finest in the country all chosen for their ability to play this complex work and embrace all the technical issues presented to them.)” Unusually, the almost sold out audience leapt to their feet and gave the band a standing ovation, we were only half way through! Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) The wonderful thing about Tubular Bells is that it never seems to age, the actual composition is just perfect and is as spell-binding now as it was 50 years ago. The performance also features other works by Mike Oldfield including Moonlight Shadow, Summit Day, Family Man and Ommadawn. Smith has collaborated with Mike Oldfield for over 30 years, with performances of Tubular Bells including at Edinburgh Castle, and also the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

Tour

The show was split into two halves. We were to be treated to ‘Tubular Bells’ performed in full, along with further Oldfield compositions. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) The orchestra got together for a well-deserved bow for the Brighton crowd who were now on their feet for the second time tonight. It was THAT good! Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) The performance alone makes Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour worth getting for fans. The documentary makes a nice bonus for those who like to take a look behind the scenes at these kinds of productions.

Originally released on 25th May 1973, the Tubular Bells The 50th Anniversary Celebration tour will feature an expansive live group, arranged by Mike Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin A Smith.

Threw is also a documentary narrated by Bill Nighy ( Wrath of the Titans, Castlevania) that touches on the recording of Tubular Bells itself and then goes behind the scenes to give a look at how the performance was originally conceived as a ballet and developed from that into what eventually was staged. It’s an interesting, if not particularly in-depth piece. The most dramatic it gets is the torrential rain and flooding of the Royal Festival Hall that nearly cancelled the performance. As I mentioned, the performance was set over two sessions. The first session delivered a brilliantly constructed listing made up of some of Mike Oldfield’s “Greatest Hits”. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) Robin is thrilled to be performing a work he’s loved since he first heard it in 1973. He collaborated with Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells 2 and 3 including live performances at Edinburgh Castle, Horseguards Parade in London, The Millennium Bell in Berlin and the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony - when he first talked to Mike about his idea for this re-imagined version. It was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in August 2021 to great acclaim, as an early celebration of Mike Oldfield’s stunning work – so to be touring the UK in the 50th year is a huge privilege for me and a perfect tribute to one of England’s greatest composers.

The Tubular Bells Concert Tour will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tubular Bells, the iconic masterpiece will be performed live with a full band across the UK in Spring 2023. Tubular Bells Concert Tour 2023 Mike Oldfield’s multi-award-winning album Tubular Bells is to be performed in a reimagined version live in concert at The Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham on Monday 13th February to celebrate the album’s 50th anniversary. We caught up with its arranger and conductor Robin Smith to find out more. Tubular Bells’ was created in 1971 and released in 1973. It was the debut studio album by English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and songwriter Mike Oldfield. The album, which was the first long player put out by Richard Branson’s Virgin Records, went on to become the highest selling instrumental album of all time. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) Robin said, “The wonder of working with Mike is his amazing creative restraint. He would allow me to paint a musical picture and then very thoughtfully and carefully intwine his own personality and musicality to create something magical. He was always enthusiastic and incredibly generous and thoughtful with the other musicians, and actually a very sensitive instructor. The high point of the piece - the end of the record's first side - as Vivian Stanshall famously announces each of the instruments (his voice was recorded here) was faithfully reproduced. And there was surely more than one lump in the throat as the years fell away and the clanging tubular bells, situated centre stage, brought the show to its climax.There will be nine of us performing the concert: two percussionists and another bass player, two guitarists and another bass player, a cellist and a singer. I will be playing piano and keyboards and conducting from there. Among the musicians is the renowned guitarist Jay Stapley who first performed with me at the live Edinburgh concert for Tubular Bells 2. As well as performing the reimagined version of Tubular Bells, the concert will feature other works by Mike including Moonlight Shadow, Ommadawn, To France and Summit Day, as well as my own composition The Gem. I am so looking forward to seeing the audience at the Alex close up and inviting them to join us on our musical mystery tour.”

I started working on a reimagined version of Tubular Bells about six years after the London Olympics. I wanted to play a cinematic version for a new generation of concertgoers and Mike told me this was a great idea to embrace. I sat down and started recreating the work by altering the tempo and instruments and adding other nuances to give it a fresh vitality. Every melodic note is true to Mike’s original – embellished with colours and textures to heighten emotion and drama. I wanted to show that Mike is not only someone who can play a lot of instruments but is also a genuine composer. The reimagined version culminated in its premier at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 2021 and a CD album and now a 50th anniversary UK tour.” An incredible work of studio engineering, remember this was before the age of digital recording, the various instruments, all played by the 19-year-old Oldfield, had to be overdubbed using analog tapes. It was an eclectic mixture of musical styles with nothing that even remotely resembled lyrics that could be used as a single. Despite that, Richard Branson used it to launch Virgin Records, those first few minutes found their way into Friedkin’s film and the rest is history. Since then Mike and Robin worked together on various projects; the subsequent sequel, Tubular Bells 3 and the Millennium Bell, performed in Berlin on the eve of 1999. The set started up with a new arrangement of the ‘Opening Theme‘ from ‘Tubular Bells 2’. The lights dimmed and smoke swirled across the stage. I am not a fan of excessive use of smoke machines, but tonight it was spot on. It provided a wonderful support for the atmospheric lighting, bouncing the colours around the stage and into the auditorium. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) The complex piece of music has seldom been played live in our region, but was given a rare outing at Newcastle City Hall in October 1975 when an orchestral version was performed by the 64-piece Northern Concert Orchestra. (The support act that night, incidentally, was Tyneside jazz fusion band Last Exit, featuring a young Geordie bass player called Gordon Sumner who would go on to make quite a name for himself as Sting).

I met Mike by chance in 1991 after working with his sister Sally as a session musician on her album, Natasha. Mike told his sister that he needed someone who could play keyboards, understand modern programming and software, and be an arranger for the world premier of Tubular Bells 2. Mike was preparing to perform the concert outside Edinburgh Castle and broadcast it live around the world, and Sally felt the two of us would work well together.” The concert opens with a trio of short pieces, ‘The Gem’ by Robin Smith and ‘Summit Day’, from the album Guitars and composed by Oldfield and arranged by Smith. The trio is rounded out by Oldfields hit single “Moonlight Shadow” which is also my favourite of his songs although over the years I’ve come to favour Nolwenn Leroy’s version. It became an instant classic - a must-have record for those 'in the know' about music. Winning a Grammy for Best Instrumental Composition in 1974, Tubular Bells is credited with helping Richard Branson build the Virgin brand. To date it has spent 287 weeks on the UK album chart where it also reached number one. Following its successful sell-out run in the UK for the Tubular Bells, the 50th Anniversary Tour is heading to Europe.