Suite Cryptique: Recomposing Twelfth Night 1978-1983

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The two-hour album comprises cinematic orchestral re-compositions of all the material contained on the band's three seminal albums plus a few live favourites, reworking them in a classical style to produce something entirely new. The dynamic range is quite stunning!

The CD booklet contains comprehensive sleeve notes explaining the concept of the album, and fascinating details of the new structures and instrumentation used. The cover painting is one of several sketches’ vocalist Geoff Mann made in 1982 while Twelfth Night were recording the Fact & Fiction album.

The album was written, arranged, recorded, and produced by Clive, with some help from two ‘old' friends, violinist extraordinaire Jane Mann (strings consultant), and Twelfth Night guitarist Andy Revell (unravelling guitar parts and general feedback).

REVIEW
Clive Mitten has long dreamed of exploring the symphonic aspect of ais former group Twelfth light's output. During lockdown he sat down at a computer heaving with orchestral samples, and set to work on Suite Cryptique. This two-hour, five-part instrumental opus sees Mitten reimagine, reorchestrate, and rearrange music from the band's first three vinyl albums: Live At The Target, Fact And Fiction and Live and Let Live. But when he stresses this is not a covers album, he's not kidding. Some parts are recognisably retained, but Mitten also mistakenly re-versions some passages as entirely new sequences. His 'post-minimal' style is inspired by everyone from Wagner to Reich, and these grandly cinematic pieces are rich with pizzicato strings, sweeping violins and burbling modern woodwinds. His clever programming successfully disguises the fact that it's not the work of a real, 100-piece orchestra.

It remains to be seen whether ardent Twelfth Night fans will find his skew sacrilegious or fascinating. As a piece unto itself, though, Suite Cryptique is involved, involving and clearly a labour of love. --Prog Mag

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Here’s what Clive himself is saying about it…

I had for some forty years wanted to revisit the early years of Twelfth Night. I had it in my head that I could do strange and wonderful things with the music. Then on 23 March 2020 the first lockdown occurred and I was off. From the outset I planned this as a cinematic orchestral album, a style that I had been developing for the last five years. Musical influences? Reich, Glass, Adams, Bach, Beethoven, Wagner, Mahler. That makes me a post-minimalist or need to get over myself.This is not a covers album. Re-composed means taking fragments or larger pieces of tunes and rethinking their purpose from the most basic notes. Some tunes are more or less aligned to their original structures - some confuse the structures.Things move around.

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Number of Discs: 2

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