Phillips, Anthony & Skeet, Andrew / Seventh Heaven: Orchestral and acoustic portraits
Label: Voiceprint, 2012

This double album features compositions of film composer Anthony Phillips and composer/arranger Andrew Skeet. The track titles are indicative of the moods and images evoked, and I have added my own responses to the tracks. The pieces are lyrical and utilize classical harmonies. The melodies are singable and pleasant, but not memorable. These pieces are meant to soothe an audience, not stir it. Play one or more of these when you want to convey peaceful times and views of planet earth.

CD 1 – 1. Credo in Cantus (2:13). Lovely soprano invites us to join in appreciating life.
2. A Richer Earth (2:56). Fields of wheat stretch over the hills.
3. Under the Infinite Sky (3:04). Nearly nightfall, wind gusts blow over the plains.
4. Grand Central (2:24). Birds eye view of crowded station, striding passengers purpose driven.
5. Kissing Gate (2:27). On the prairie, he and she approach each other.
6. Pasquinade (2:01). Haunting oboe over plucked strings.
7. Rain On Sag Harbour (1:40). Rain sheets hit the ocean and shore.
8. Ice Maiden (1:34). She is slowly melting.
9. River of Life (3:08). Mildly discordant - it’s not a stress-free existence.
10. Desert Passage (3:53). Dusk, creatures begin stirring, hunting. Midway, the caravan enters the scene.
11. Seven Ancient Wonders (Vocal) (2:23). The Mausoleum, the Pyramids at night, but no Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
12. Desert Passage (Reprise)(1:05). Caravan beds down around campfires
13. Circle of Light (4:10). Minor key. Guitar evokes sadness throughout.
14. Forgotten Angels (2:38). Celesta a la Nutcracker’s Sugar Plum Fairies.
15. Courtesan (2:54). Madrid nights.
16. Ghosts of New York (2:18). Camera pans half-lit buildings; we see apartment dwellers at random tasks.
17. Shipwreck of St. Paul (3:45). Winds blow, seas swell. Skies darken.
18. Cortege (2:12). The funeral is nobly sad, not anguished.

CD 2 – 1. Credo in Cantus (Instrumental). (2:12) Summer morning, welcome day.
2. Sojourn (2:48). The wagons start to roll.
3. Speak of Remarkable Things (1:17). Piano arpeggios, strings harmonize.
4. Nocturne (3:50). Guitar plays quietly at evening, reflecting on the day.
5. Long Road Home (2:27). Late afternoon, and the road stretches ahead.
6. The Golden Leaves of Fall (3:52). Autumn is audible. Drama builds.
7. Credo (1:55). Guitar melodies with strings, move at modest pace.
8. Under the Infinite Sky (Guitar Ensemble Version) (3:09). Sounds of wind and rain.
9. The Stuff of Dreams (4:11). Heaven peeks through the clouds, discords warn it is no sure thing.
10. Old Sarum Suite – Sarabande / Song of the Shires / The Feast of the Ice Saints / Stormchaser / the Path to War / the Fleet Assembles/ Raising the Standard / Sarabande/ Song of the Shires 2 (7:55). Orchestration variations on a simple minor key theme.
11. For Eloise (1:46). Mildly Middle Eastern, with plucked guitar melody.
12. Winter Song (3:39). Lovely soprano/orchestral lament.
13. Ghosts of New York (Piano Version) (2:20). Dusk, the streets are full, the bars are filling.
14. Daniel's Theme (2:47). Sad, reflective.
15. Study in Scarlet (1:03). Inside a 17th century castle.
16. The Lives of Others (2:57). Sad, wintry, quiet.
17. Forever Always (3:00). End of the story, as old age sets in.