Comments for Renaissance, Scheherazade and other stories

A fine album: quite probably Renaissance`s best. The first half is three songs performed by the band, without the orchestra, featuring John Tout`s superb neo-classical piano playing and Annie Haslam`s beautiful vocal work. There are long piano passages on these songs but the rest of the band are all contributing and in a more restrained manner than on later albums, which is all to the good. The second, concept half adapts Rimsky-Korsakov`s "Scheherazade" and blends Renaissance`s songs into this work, complete with a full orchestra. The introductory male lead vocal on this piece contributes to the variety and texture of the whole. The arrangements of both band and orchestra are superb, even if the piano seems a long way down in the mix after the first side (although that style may have been unsustainable for a whole album). There are many wonderful passages here and the coda with Haslam`s vocals reaching up ever higher is impressive. Overall, a great album that never flags, even through the extended instrumental parts: strong songs well produced. A very satisfying listening experience for those of us whose tastes embrace classical, folk and rock music. (Ian C. Thomas)