Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Banks, Tony
Label: BMG Rights Management
Release date: 23.02.2018
Running time: 57:51
Rating: 4/5
»Five« is the sixth studio album from English keyboard master Tony Banks, who won worldwide fame as a member of the unforgettable Genesis and as one of the key pioneers of progressive rock. His solo career, which kicked off in 1979, has been a long way from any major commercial success, unlike those of his (former) Genesis bandmates. After »Seven: A suite for Orchestra« (2004) and »Six Pieces for Orchestra« (2012), »Five« is his third orchestral project, one that’s entirely devoted to classical music. Apart from some of the symphonic arrangements, it has no real ties to Tony’s rich prog-rock past, and even less to his pop-rock past.
»Five« features five extraordinarily beautiful, atmospheric pieces, mostly longer than ten minutes, with stately symphonic arrangements. You can hear Banks’s distinctive, eclectic and incredibly subtle keyboard touch along with his outstanding genius as an arranger, even though he never really breaks away from the orchestra or steps into a solo role. He’s ‘just’ an important, integral part of it. Banks, who was the main composer on »Five« and played most of the piano arrangements, got help with the compositions from the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. The superb production came from his old collaborator Nick Davis, who handled the production of Genesis albums in the nineties and has also lent his services to bands like Marillion, XTC, Mike + the Mechanics and Sound of Contact.
»Five« will win over most fans of contemporary classical music and Banks’s piano mastery with its majestic arrangements and inviting ambience. Anyone hoping for some kind of continuation of the mighty Genesis musical ‘story’, though, won’t find many echoes of Tony’s past contributions from his best creative years. Tony has already announced that he plans to make one more classical solo album and then see where the musical road takes him. Who knows, maybe he’ll fall for symphonic prog rock again, the style his rich musical career is most often associated with. The chances of another Genesis reunion are extremely slim right now, but let’s allow ourselves to be surprised.
Lineup
Tony Banks – piano, celesta, composer
Czech National Symphony Orchestra and Choir
Nick Ingman – conductor, orchestration
John Barclay – cornet, trumpet (2 and 4)
Martin Robertso – saxophone (3,5), duduk (5)
Frank Ricotti – percussion
Skaila Kanga – harp
Production
Nick Davis
Tracklist
1. Prelude to a Million Years (15:34)
2. Reveille (8:58)
3. Ebb and Flow (12:49)
4. Autumn Sonata (10:16)
5. Renaissance (10:14)
