SCHEHERAZADE AND OTHER STORIES

Elegant, brightly colourful, majestic: "Scheherazade and Other Stories" is Renaissance's top studio achievement, a gem created by the fusion of the light of art folk-rock and the solidness of symphonic prog. The style of the compositions is pretty much alike the one they have been conveying and developing from the "Prologue" album onwards, but you can tell that they have taken their musical voice to another level, a higher one, where the gigantic splendour of Tout's keyboard parts (and occasionally, the orchestra as well) is fluidly combined with the emotional candor portrayed by Haslam's amazing singing and Danford's acoustic guitar: meanwhile, the rhythm duo of Camp and Sullivan manage to keep a subtle labour during the softer parts, and then expand their drive a bit further during the most pompous passages, never getting overtly energetic, just keeping the pace with the same precision and a little more energy. Some Camp's bass parts, specially in track 1 and the suite, are melodically driven in order to complement Tout's keyboards: Camp has always been a most effective lieutenant. Everything here is in its right place, yet this amalgam clearly has not been the product of mere rational calculation, but the result of a sparkling complementation between artistic craft and poetic creativity (in both lyrics and music). The opening 11- track 'Trip to the Fair' is an excellent example of all that I've been saying so far. Tout makes his grand piano shine like a grandiose bonfire, doing his Rachmaninov/Tchaikovsky inspired stuff, with a slight touch of jazz. The following number, 'The Vultures Fly High', is the shortest and poppiest one in the album: the poppiest one, but nos simplistic, since it includes some clever chord shifts on piano and reasonable complex vocal melodies. A pretty number indeed, but it mainly should be enjoyed as a brief, pleasant interlude between the magically captivating 'Trip to the Fair' and the evocative 'Ocean Gypsy'. This one is full of a serene melancholy that seems to flow from the heart of someone doomed to yearn for every place they leave behind in their endless travels along the world. On the other hand, had 'Vultures' been a bit longer and more developed, it could have been twice as interesting, I'm sure, since the main motifs are really attractive. But well, there's no time for complaining since what comes next is the best, IMHO. 'Song of Scheherazade' is the monumental 24+ minute suite that assumes the leading role in this album, and in many ways it is the pinnacle of Renaissance's entire musical career. More than ever Tout is the driving force that leads the creative power of Renaissance to go beyond their boundaries and succeed at generating great music. No doubt that the orchestral arrangements contributed by Tony Cox play the role of the perfect accomplice for the band's outstanding endeavors. Unlike Wakeman's "Journey" or Procol Harum's "Edmonton", things never get too pompous anywhere in the 'Scheherazade' suite - the sense of elegance and clean melodic sensitivity that had consistently characterized Renaissance's musical touch has been translated here into sheer exquisiteness all throughout its 9 sections. Overall mark: 4 ½ to 5 stars.

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