Tuomas Holopainen - A Lifetime of Adventure (REACTION)
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Thanks to viewer Nick R for this recommendation!
original video: • TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN - A ...
This week I am catching up on reactions that have already been recorded and are in my backlog.
Next week my normal schedule will on hold as I focus exclusively on viewer recommendations! I am very appreciative of all the recommendations you guys have given me and your patience as I get to them all.
New videos premiering every weekday morning at 9 AM EST (GMT -5)
Monday: Nightwish
Tuesday: Lovebites
Wednesday: New Metal Release
Thursday: Viewer Recommendation
Friday: Sabaton
I started this channel with the goal of reacting to every Nightwish and Sabaton song that I haven't heard yet! A huge thank you to everyone who watches and comments, it means a lot
My Reaction channel / @allanreacts
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My Odysee channel (video site where I can upload reactions that are blocked on YT) odysee.com/@al...
Twitter / allanreacts1
Bandcamp collection bandcamp.com/A...
Hi Alan. I am very happy you reacted to this beautiful and delicate song. Tuomas's wife Johanna has such a lovely and ethereal voice. Interestingly enough, the other woman's name is also Johanna and I believe she is married to the guitarist. Tuomas is definitely an artist of the highest caliber. I love this song and the video production. Terrific.
It's very impressive, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from his solo work, I will certainly check out more. I've also received a lot of recommendations to react to Auri so that will be coming up sometime in the next few weeks too! Thank you for watching and leaving a comment!
Tuomas grew up reading Scrooge McDuck graphic novels. He is a huge fan of Don Rosa who wrote and illustrated them. He always wanted to do honor him. So he wrote an album. This is only one song from it. The gentleman in the video is Don. He had to retire because his eyesight was getting to bad to do the illustrations. He worked on this for years and finally had the time to finish it up and do the videos.
In my opinion Tuomas is a genius. I hope someday he is finally recognized for his composing.
Thank you for watching and commenting as well, I appreciate the info!
This one makes me well up, and usually when that happens it's because of an effective evocation of particularly emotive subject matter (Sabaton's _Christmas_ _Truce_ for example). Here, I think it's literally the music, which is much rarer! Do check out some Auri too - maybe Night 13 or Desert Flower?
Thanks for the recommendations!
Another really nice reaction, Allan. You picked up on just about everything there (and yes, Yuletide was mentioned in 'Meadows Of Heaven' - Tuomas has a habit of doing this sort of thing all over Nightwish songs!). Nothing more I can add to the excellent info supplied by NickR. As for Auri, I don't know which song of theirs you've heard, but I can highly recommend 'Night 13' from the first album and 'Pearl Diving' from the second.
Thanks! I cannot remember which Auri song, I think I would recognize the video if I saw it. Thank you for the recommendation, I will check it out.
@@metalzonereactions Check them both out! For me personally they are the stand-out songs from each album, although there are a handful of other really good ones too.
Allan: "never heard of Pip Williams"
Little story about how they started working with Pip Williams when they made the Once (2004) album. Ghost Love Score can be found on the album. Here's a clip from their book:
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From the very start, Tuomas had a strong feeling that Once had to have an orchestra, come what ever may. After finishing the recording of backing tracks, the process continued in London with the legendary producer Pip Williams at the helm. Known for his work for the likes Status Quo and Uriah Heep, Williams was responsible for the orchestrations on the album.
When the Nightwish guys heard what orchestra they would be working with, their jaws hit the floor. "As Ewo and I traveled to London at the end of November to meet Pip Williams, we had no clue about the orchestra he'd gotten for us", Tuomas says. "The only thing we knew was that Williams himself would do the arrangements and that through his connections, he would hook us up with an orchestra and a choir. The first time we visited Phoenix Sound Studio, Rick Wakeman (the keyboard player of the legendary progressive rock band Yes) opened the door for us. That's when we realized we're onto something big. As we were having coffee in the studio, Pip dropped the bomb: the orchestra in question had played on The Lord of the Rings, as well as on many other Hollywood soundtracks - all recorded in this studio!"
It seems that Pip Williams wanted only the best for a band he held in great respect. "I have followed the band for some time, and it's been interesting to see how they have developed. Of course Rock bands like Deep Purple have previously used orchestras, but I really feel that Nightwish have combined the best of both worlds most successfully. They are a classic Metal band with strong classical and movie-score influences in their music."
"It was important for me that it would not be just about over-dubbing a few orchestral parts on top of a Rock band", Williams continues. "Tuomas' compositions were brilliant also in the sense that choir and orchestra could be added naturally, so that they don't sound pretentious or contrived. This is of utmost importance. The songs must be structured so as to allow the orchestra enough space. In the end, the results were quite emotive. Also, let us not forget just how good all the musicians in Nightwish are. They are perfectly sympathetic to Tuomas' vision. And Tarja's (1st lead singer) wonderful voice has done the songs great justice."
Williams knew his orchestra well. "I have worked with most of the players on different sessions for many years. Gavin Wright is a sensitive and authoritative orchestra leader, and together with Isobel Griffiths, the orchestral contractor, we were able to secure just the right musicians for each song. Anthony Pleeth, who has the lead cellist and played solo cello on 'Kuolema tekee taiteilijan', is one such example. These guys have done many, many big movie scores, as have the wonderful Metro Voices choir, and I thought this project required the kind of grandiose performance one would find on movie soundtracks by, say, Howard Shore."
Tuomas could not have been more excited about the situation. "Using the orchestra was an earthshaking experience. I only had to lie on the studio couch for two days, listening to these amazingly talented people. During the first takes, someone said into the mike, 'Are these guys really serious?'. When we began 'Ghost Love Score', a positive kind of bewilderment took over the orchestra. That, as well as 'Dark Chest of Wonders', were the first ones we recorded."
Williams was equally happy with his orchestra. "These musicians are such brilliant sight readers that it wasn't necessary to do more than a couple of rehearsals. Then we'd have a take or two of each song. It all went very smoothly. After the takes, I would check that Tuomas was happy, and then we would move on. If there was anything he wanted changed, it would be dealt with in a very short time. I must say, however, that we had prepared very well - I had been constantly on the phone with Tuomas when I was writing the arrangements. Yes, I ended up making a huge phone bill! But the groundwork paid off, as only a few small alterations were necessary."
Tuomas and Pip Williams immediately hit it off on a personal level. "Tuomas is sensitive, caring, very observant - he's what the English call a musical sponge", Williams commends. "It means he is always willing to try new ideas and absorbs the musical influences around him like a sponge. Tuomas always wants to learn more about music, its origins and sound. He has very firm ideas of what he is trying to achieve, but he also leaves space for those working with him to express themselves. He is humble, appreciative and approachable, one of the most talented musicians or composers I have ever worked with. I really think he would make an original and effective movie score composer, and I definetely want to collaborate with Tuomas again in the future - in fact, we're already talking about the next venture. I would also love to collaborate with him on a movie score at some point."
"Many times the players would come into the control room afterwards to listen to the takes, and according to Pip, that's something that doesn't happen very often," Tuomas says. "They're usually not that interested - they just do their job and leave, but now they actually listened to the songs. At the end of the last day, as I went down to thank the orchestra, they started applauding, standing up from their seats. It was one of those great moments in life."
According to Williams, a Pop or Rock artist rarely receives a standing ovation. "The musicians respected the quality of the songs and the challenge of playing such intricate and well structured music. You must remember that these guys also do simple pop sessions, songs that are very easy to play. With Nightwish, they were able to play stuff that was often as demanding as many of the classical pieces they had trained on. This was so much more than just simple 3-chord songs in 4/4 time. And let's not forget that they also had great respect for people that were prepared to take such a huge musical and financial risk, all for the sake of art! Remember, these were very expensive sessions. I'm very satisfied with my own reward for the arrangements, too."
"There is alwas a degree of compromise when mixing a Metal band with a large orchestra, as it's such a huge sound, but all in all, I'm really pleased with the end result", Pip reflects. "The main thing is that we have established a great identity with Nightwish and the orchestra, and our cooperation could be even better in the future. Seriously, Once is one of the most enjoyable projects in my career, and I've done this for 35 years!"
Wow, what a story, thank you for sharing that!
@@metalzonereactions Pip Williams worked with them from 2004 (I'm not sure if he's retired now). There is a great Tuomas interview where he explains his songwriting process and how they work together with Pip. ua-cam.com/video/49L6WqxBE98/v-deo.html&t
@@ValtteL Oh, I didn't know Pip had retired! That's sad for us, though I hope he enjoys his retirement. He has taught Tuomas a lot along the way about writing for orchestra, so hopefully whoever they find to replace him will be able to slot in well.
@@elvwood I do question this a bit now, but I think he's retired. I'm not 100% sure.
Tuomas is obviously a masterful composer, as well as a brilliant poet/songwriter. I can appreciate these songs, even though they are not really something I listen to as it is not heavy enough. Great reaction and keep rocking.
I think that's why I had not checked it out before, I had the same perspective as what you're describing. I really did like this one and am grateful for the great recommendations people leave. Don't worry though, the one tomorrow is very heavy!
It's very amusing how hard it is to get people to react to this. Floor's and Marko's solo projects are always selling like fake money (old Finnish saying).
This is pure speculation and I don't mean it as a criticism, but I think a lot of people who get into reactions, and with Nightwish, are coming from a pop perspective and gravitate most towards the singer. That and according to Google Trends people are searching ten times as much for "Floor Jansen" than they are for "Tuomas Holopainen". Except for Japan haha, for some reason more people there are looking up Tuomas!
Damn, called into a meeting and missed it
The album is based on the Don Rosa comic works so you see bits of Don drawing the artwork in some of these songs, like this one. The album is a concept then, and good to go through from start to finish.
Johanna has a stunning voice, you will find.
Tuomas uses a lot of leitmotifs as you mentioned so you always have a reference point.
Yes Troy is part of this project.
Johanna Kurkela is Tuomas' wife and plays "Glittering" Goldie o'Gilt.
The other lady is Johanna Livanainen (the darker haired one).
You'll see the London Philharmonic Orchestra, arranged as usual by Tuomas' long-time collaborator, Pip Williams.
Lyrics:
"I remember it as if it was yesterday.
My papa took me to see the ancestral home of our clan,
The desolate castle on Dismal Downs, abandoned since the 17th century,
Now inhabited by no-one but golden eagles in its turrets and
Ptarmigan & grouse in the heather o' the clan cemetery.
In this sight of former glory, of ochre grass and bracken,
Sadness and hope, this is where I begin my story.
Rannoch-moor, 1877, the eve of my 10th birthday.
Tha 'n sgeul ag aiseig bu brath /
Toirt taic bho tiotain a tha gar deanamh mar a tha sinn
Howls on the moors
Dreams of sailing all seas
Call of the hills
And a fiddle of farewell
Thanks for watching and for that information, never heard of Pip Williams, I'll have to look into that more. I believe I have heard a song from Auri once which was the first time I heard Johanna sing, what a great talent! Thanks for the recommendation 🙏
On the CD itself the orchestra is named as the Moorstone Orchestra.
You'll see it named as the LPO on the internet but as the members are not the same, I think the LPO attribution could be wrong.
Pip has done a lot of orchestration for Nightwish. Back in 2015 when EFMB was being worked on, Tuomas said this:
"For already over a decade, we've recorded the orchestral parts in London with Pip Williams and James Shearman.
The first time with Once was obviously an unforgettable experience in many ways, but even now my jaw still drops when the score comes alive."
@@NickBR57 that's a great quote! I have heard most of the songs on Once (I think) and agree they sound fantastic!
@@metalzonereactions Well now, here's the thing... People praise the capabilities of rock musicians. Now I happen to think every member of Nightwish is an absolute master of their instruments, but put it in the context of top orchestras. Here are some other band comments on the LPO:
EMPPU: We have huge respect towards these musicians. They can record real challenging stuff with just one or two takes, like the changed orchestration for "Stargazers", I mean, I know how long I had to work on these songs!
KAI: It was the first time I had the privilege of watching a world-class orchestra at work in the studio. I had heard incredible stories about these prima vista guys, but I was still awestruck by their professionalism. Listening to them play in the studio felt like being slapped in the face in a beautiful way. I might have done something right a few times in my career as a musician, but in London I couldn't help but realize how small I really am.
Johanna Livanainen is the partner of Mikko Livanainen the guitarist.
Next reaction from this Album, don't use official lyric video, instead use a video where YT user has combined a story from a book with a real song. For legal reasons, Tuomas could not do anything like this. The pictures are from Finnish edition of the book, but I think everyone gets it how it is a soundtrack for a graphic novel.
Tuomas Holopainen - The Last Sled
ua-cam.com/video/DyS5DXzpIEk/v-deo.html
Thanks for that recommendation, good to know. I know it can be annoying/frustrating to see reactors check out a version of the song that doesn't seem to do it justice, or video in this case. That's interesting that he has a song titled "The Last Sled" - because I noticed in here (I think I forgot to mention it) there was a line about Rosebuds, referring to I assume the sled Rosebud in Citizen Kane. We watched it in school and that's the only part I remember!
@@metalzonereactions It's not so much about annoying part. Lyric video is also very good. I think these fan made videos really shows the book from which this soundtrack album is made and each different songs. Songs are from different chapters so it's really accurate.
@@metalzonereactions That might be an additional reference to Don Rosa's comic, which contains a direct homage to Citizen Kane.
Did not know that, thanks!