IAN ANDERSON PLAYS THE ORCHESTRAL JETHRO TULL

"Ian Anderson Plays The Orchestral Jethro Tull" is the debut DVD of Ian Anderson, as a solo artist, and was released in 2005. It features the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt Orchestra, conducted by John O'Hara. Joining Ian and the orchestra we have the drummer James Duncan, the bassist David Goodier, the keyboard & accordion player John O'Hara, who also is the conductor of the orchestra, and the guitarist Florian Opahle. They form a very fine unit, and while they may not be Jethro Tull, these musicians certainly have a handle on these songs and work very well with the orchestra. It has also the participation of three members of the orchestra as soloists, Kathrin Troester on flute, Sibylle Wähnert on bassoon and Astrid Cienia on oboe, on some tracks. It was recorded from a live show at the Rosengarten in Mannheim, Germany, in 2004. This concert was part of a series of concerts with the same name. Anderson and the orchestra toured Europe and USA throughout 2004 and 2006. It was also released as a double live album, with the same name which contains the same tracks in the same order. In addition to the concert, the DVD has also an interview with Ian Anderson.

As you can see by the track list, there are plenty of classic songs here, as well as some of the holiday tunes that Jethro Tull has recorded. From the Jethro Tull's tracks, we have: "Bourée" of "Stand Up"; "Wondr'ing Aloud", "Cheap Day Return", "Mother Goose", "Aqualung", "My God" and "Locomotive Breath" of "Aqualung"; "Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day" of "War Child"; "Up The Pool", "Life Is A Long Song" and "Living In The Past" of "Living In The Past"; "Budapest" of "Crest Of A Knave"; "We Five Kings", "Pavane" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" of "The Jethro Tull Christmas Album". From the Anderson's solo tracks, we have: "In The Grip Of Stronger Stuff" of "Divinities: Twelve Dances With God"; "Boris Dancing" of "The Secret Language Of Birds"; "Eurology", "Calliandra Shade (The Cappuccino Song)" and "Griminelli's Lament" of "Rupi's Dance".

Joined by the orchestra, Ian and his solo band run through many Jethro Tull and Anderson's hits. When joined by the orchestra the sound is magic. The material here like "Up The Pool", sounds sophisticated in this setting with the aging and respectful audience politely applauding. I particularly loved the version of "Aqualung". Its orchestral version is dramatic and exciting, as we could expect. "Mother Goose", completed with bassoon, oboe, and accordion, has a wonderful flavour. Anderson's fans are now as old as the "Aqualung" figure he has projected for the past four decades. It's fascinating to hear the music of their youth presented in such old world ambiance. He is quite chatty on the show, talking about the reinvention of "We Three Kings", now titled "We Five Kings", for the rock/folk quintet employed on this gig. With Ian Anderson pretty much unplugged, the music of Jethro Tull works wonderfully in this special scenario.

As I wrote before, the live concert exists in CD and DVD formats. If you have the 2 CD set, then you have basically everything on it. Anyway, the DVD is a great companion to the CD. On the DVD you have the explanations of the story and the lyrics of the tracks, always with the excellent humour of Anderson. On it, you can see the perfect harmony and communion between all musicians and how Anderson is deeply respected by them. You can also see a 48 minute interview with Ian in the studio where he talks about his decision to record these classic songs with the orchestra and the other musicians. Hearing his thoughts on how much perfectionist he has been all over the years, yet admitting that he made numerous mistakes on stage every nights. It's also great to include his comments about the limitations of his voice and his decision to concentrate on the flute in the early years. He brings up the opinion that when Peter Gabriel stopped playing flute in Genesis, it was good for him because then he couldn't be compared to him, which is funny to hear, and may be true. This is Ian being very personal for the camera and I'm sure that you'll love this part of the DVD.

So, in addition to the concert, the DVD has also three interviews, with Ian Anderson, Fritz Rau and Mitwirkende.

Conclusion: This is a great companion DVD to the CD. Joined by the orchestra, Ian Anderson and his solo band run through many Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson's hits, and when joined by the orchestra the sound seems to be magic. As always, Ian Anderson is a great showman, and while he may not race around the stage like he did 20 or 30 years ago, he still brings what would be a fairly calm orchestra evening to great heights thanks to his energetic stage presence and with his humoristic commentaries. When we see the DVD we can see the ease with which Ian Anderson moves on stage the way he commands the show and how he is admired and respected by these group of much younger musicians, and by the orchestra too. This is Anderson being very personal for the cameras and long time fans will love this live show.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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