LP - Some Bizarre, SBZ LP-007
*CD - Fie! Records, FIE 9121
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Peter Hammill:
The Fall of the House of Usher Deconstructed & Rebuilt*
Libretto by Chris Judge Smith |
| Musicians: |
Peter Hammill - vocals (Roderick Usher), guitars, keyboards Stuart Gordon - violins Sarah-Jane Morris - vocals (The Chorus) Andy Bell - vocals (Montresor) Lene Lovich - vocals (Madeleine Usher) Herbert Grönemeyer - vocals (The Herbalist) |
| Other credits: |
Produced by Peter Hammill Recorded by Peter Hammill at Sofa Sound and Terra Incognita, except: parts of Ms. Lovich's performance recorded at H.O.M.E. Studios by Les Chappell; Mr. Grönemeyer's performance recorded at Outside Studios by Christoph Matlock Live mixing by Paul Ridout Compiled, edited and mastered at Terra Incognita Artwork & sleeve design by RidArt © 1999 Hammill/Smith |
R e l e a s e N o t e s
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This CD is a re-recording and remix of a work first released in 1991. These notes may explain how and why the unusual step was taken of creating a new version of the piece.
In 1989, the long-anticipated first stage production of the opera was cancelled just a few months before rehearsals were due to begin. This disappointment was perhaps the catalyst for PH's determination to see the work recorded and released without delay, drawing a line beneath what had been an extraordinary protracted project. PH began writing 'Usher' in 1973 to a basic libretto of mine already some years old. Work had proceeded intermittently ever since, with most years seeing at least a few weeks collaborative work on the project. Recording began during the summer of 1989, a cast was assembled and by the spring of the following year the CD, which I shall call 'Usher 1', was substantially complete. The musical arrangements and orchestrations of this original recording were more-or-less the instrumental parts that would have been performed live for the planned stage production. Considerable difficulty was encountered in finding a record company of any substance to take on this very 'left-field' project, but in 1991 the CD was eventually released only to become effectively unavailable shortly afterwards. In common with much of PH's work over the last 30 years, Usher 1 was both extravagantly praised and savagely condemned by small minorities of enthusiasts and detractors, while the majority of (even sophisticated) music consumers remained quite unaware of its existence. 'Usher 1' remains a true, accurate and honourable rendering of the work, but even its most ardent admirers agree that the austerity of the musical arrangements and its understated production techniques made for an uncompromising and demanding listening experience. Eight years later I was intrigued to hear that PH had returned to the piece and was carrying out extensive further recording work; though my interest was tinged with a certain degree of apprenhension when he told me that, amongst other things, he was recording scores of new electric guitar parts throughout the opera. This new work on the project occupied a full six months in the studio and I heard the new 'Usher' for the first time in June 1999. My apprehensions vanished; 'Usher II' was a revelation. PH has carried out something between a radical remix and a completely new recording of the original work. The instrumentation has been completely revised and the dozens electric guitars are used in massed groups which fill a choral or orchestral role. PH's own vocals as Roderick Usher have mostly been re-recorded (simply because he was in a position to do so, he told me) and the resulting central performance is an extraordinary and spine-chilling vocal tour de force. Above all, the overall sound of 'Usher II' now bears comparison with the original recording. The last eight years have seen PH's studio at Terra Incognita grow in state-of-the- art digital facility, while his own engineering and production skills have developed to a very high standard; as evidenced by the exceptional sound quality of his most recent solo CD's. 'Usher II' exists in a rich, deep and sparkling sound-world; in contrast to the dry cramped sound quality of the original released. Among many others changes and refinements, one further revision may be worth drawing attention to 'Usher II' has no drums or percussion. During the eighteen-year development of the opera, many 'numbers' existed as some point in a relatively conventional rock music format and, at the time of the first recording, several sections still featured rock drums. In retrospect, the composer found these 'throw-backs' unnecessary and anachronistic, and these sections have been radically reworked; in my view, to the great benefit of the piece. Paradoxically, the lush clarity of the new version seems in no way to soften or sweeten the impact of the music. This is not 'Usher-Lite'. Rather, the ease and pleasure of the listening experience now draw listener very much further into the depths of Poe's terrifying universe.
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