Search - Christopher Franke :: London Concert

The Stairway to Electronic Heaven by The Maestro of Arpeggio

Thomas Haitsma | 01/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The London Concert" is the first (and only so far) concert album of Christopher Franke. In fact, he performed live only once, in October of 1991, and we should be grateful that that performance was recorded and published, preserved for posterity. An ex-member of Tangerine Dream, the main man behind its musical heritage, the sole carrier of the musical traditions of old Tangerine Dream, Christopher Franke proved with "The London Concert" that he, and no one else has a moral right to be associated with the band's name, although the latter is a property of Edgar Froese, property he saw fit to destroy in the 90s. "The London Concert" is a masterpiece, an album that set us on our knees, won our hearts hungry for the good old music we suspected had already perished to be found never more. When I bought this album in late 1992, I was crying loud. That's how much disappointed I was with what was done to Tangerine Dream, and that's how I loved this masterpiece of electronic music. I hope you will too, if you are still unaware that Chris Franke continues to innovate in the electronic music genre, that he successfully married orchestra with electronica, that the incredible ambient soundscapes of old glory are still with us. The London Concert starts heavily, with an electronic orchestral intro of 'Empire of Light', with quotes from Franke's favorite album of Tangerine Dream, "Near Dark" of 1986, which was his child, where he took over compositionally, and tried to research the marriage of electronica and orchestra. The intro softly metamorphoses into the main arpeggiated theme of 'Purple Waves', known from his first solo album of 'Pacific Coast Highway'. The first five tracks are blended into one long suite named 'Circular Signs Suite', reminding us live once again that the times of old improvised compositions - suites understood as sonic images, musical journeys through the ambient world - are not dead, forgotten, but very much alive, still with us. 'Purple Waves' is very long, and multilayered, slowly progressing from the innocent piano images to the heavier, dynamic, arpeggiated rockets we missed for such a long time. The last composition of that type can be found on Tangerine Dream's 1983 concert album, "Poland". In fact, the arpeggio on "The London Concert", with the heart-wrenching basso-continuo of 'Purple Waves' is one of the most memorable arpeggios in the whole history of electronic music. I dare say that very few compositions of Tangerine Dream, even the old ones, compare to this one. A few minutes into the suite, we hear the main theme quote from 1976's "Sorcerer", and a powerful ostinato extending ideas explored on "Poland", dancing together in a incredibly intelligent, interlaced set of tunes. All that is best in electronic music is present here. Sudeenly, the arpeggio stops, to give way to the dialogue of piano and deep synthesizer tones, to bring us back to the melody of the original track known from "Pacific Coast Highway", and then, as hard as it is to believe, we hear the beloved sounds of 1975's "Ricochet". Jesus - I never suspected I would again hear this godlike music again, performed live. Travelling through the clouds with the arpeggio again, this time augmented by a solid, Spartan, but fitting drum beat, we accelerate in a powerful finale to this masterpiece, Franke's famous composition, 'Cloudburst Flight' from Tangerine Dream's album "Force Majeure" of 1979. Franke does not limit himself to quotes, he extends them in ways we daren't have dreamt about for about 20 years. I wish 'Circular Signs Suite' never ended. After a short, reflexive breath of 'Black Garden View', a fresh composition from his latest album, we again enter the world of godlike arpeggios with 'Vermillion Sands', the first offocial solo composition of Christopher Franke. This carnivorous, arpeggiated and agresssive composition will leave you shivering. Oh Lord, I didn't expect this much from life..."The London Concert" offers so much more - I feel like I could write for hours. 'Mountain Heights' and 'Private Diaries' again offer us a live experience of Franke playing his newest 1991 compositions from "Pacific Coast Highway". Pulsating version of his composition, 'Dolphin Dance' known from 1986's Tangerine Dream album, "Underwater Sunlight" leaves you in a state of euphoria, proof that only the author of this track is able to play it with the nerve, even better than the original band used to in the days of old.This album made me a Frankist for life. The best album of the 90s, hands down. it showed that creativity is unlimited, that the spirit of Tangerine Dream didn't die, that great music can be composed again, that there is future, and that the man whom we will follow into the future, is Christopher Franke."

Tangerine Dreamer

Lee Whiteside | Dwight, Illinois United States | 04/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like Tangerine Dream you have to check out this one. It is very much like TD and not like the other Chris Franke music that I have heard. There are no guitars. It is good space music."