Search - Ron Thomas :: Scenes from a Voyage to Arcturus

Music from another world

William Timothy Lukeman | 02/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How does someone even begin to write music that adequately captures the stark, visionary strangeness of David Lindsay's astonishing novel? Yet Ron Thomas has come as close as anyone could hope to in this sequence of instrumental pieces, which are by turns crystalline, haunting, demonic & transporting. For those who have read the book, the title of each piece will provide context & evoke the book's stunning imagery. But this CD passes an even more important musical test: those completely unfamiliar with the book will still find much to move them. This music has a chill beauty, and most listeners will respond to it, as they might respond to the shimmering cries of some exotic, unidentifiable bird in the night. Highly recommended!"

Jazz and ambient pieces inspired by Lindsay's novel

ixion75 | 01/31/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"David Lindsay's classic first novel _A Voyage to Arcturus_ is one of the most enchanting and awe-inspiring fantasies of the 20th Century, having built itself a small, dedicated fanbase which has included notables such as Clive Barker, Harold Bloom, and C.S. Lewis. The book has a grandeur that is equal parts terribleness and mystery. It's also thematic on many levels, and it is not surprising that a musician was inspired by its imagery enough to compose some pieces based on the scenes in the book.However, jazz is not the first thing that comes to mind when reading _A Voyage to Arcturus_. Yet it is the genre Ron Thomas here works in, and he does a good job of it. The compositions here are all wonderful, and this would be a notable albeit extremely eclectic listen for anyone, fan of jazz or not. The disc's only lack to these untutored jazz music ears is the one of not really capturing the sublimity of Lindsay's novel, even if Thomas does give excellent treatment to the stray, pixilated beauty of it."Tormance" starts things off well with gentility and hope, and "Night of Departure" blends just the right amount of eerieness and adventure, echoing Lindsay's text adequately. "Backhouse the Medium," while actually the opening chapter of the book, is placed as "scene" 4 on the cd, and is a standout, with its shuffly, spare piano notes. It leads into a percussive-centered "Apparition," and elsewhere "Joiwind" floats by, wispy and ethereal. "Panawe" seems a more traditional jazz number, while "The Muspel Stream" manages a chilly prettiness. "Muspel" and "Tydomin" are spacey, atmospheric ambient numbers, and "Barey" has a surreal sheen to it. "Swaylone's Island" is perhaps one of the most musical parts of the book, and an admirable job is done of it on the album. The cd's most memorable pieces are "The Murder of Spadevil and Tydomin," which speeds by frantic and chaotic, and "Arcturus" which with its trumpet and saxophone casts a haunting glow.Selections from the book reprinted in the cd's liner notes function as an accompaniment to each track, making the cd usable by anyone who hasn't yet digested Lindsay's prose. It is not essential to be a jazz fan or a fan of Lindsay's work to appreicate this album, but it would help. I'd recommend this to jazz fans with a taste for the bizarre and Lindsay fans interested in hearing one musician's take on the story."