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Topic History of: Sparks
Max. showing the last 5 posts - (Last post first)
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david |
it is really very good. I've listened to it 5 times so far (the Maels don't have a problem with people making mp3s online, so I can say that  )
it's being rebroadcast tonight sometime I think. |
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giles2008 |
And you can read The Daily Mael at the following link.I heard about this a while back and forgot all about it. Thanks for reminding me david.
www.allsparks.com/ |
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david |
Sparks are an excellent example of a band which gets better and better (and weirder) with age- Ron Mael was 64 this week- same age as yourself, JK?
They are also one of my pet loves in the music biz- but if they emerged now, would they get past Simon Cowell? nah....
This is why not- The Mael brothers have consistently torn up the rule book and thrown it out the window over their 40-year career, never more spectacularly than in 2002 with their "Lil' Beethoven", an album which followed an electronic dance period with an album with almost no rythmn tracks at all, opening with the song "The Rhythm Thief".
and last night heralded their latest unpredictable venture. It was superb, an hour and 5 minutes of brilliance.
here's the press release:
Sparks announce exciting new project - “The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman”
Sparks' Ron and Russell Mael have been commissioned by the Swedish National Public radio Sveriges Radio to write and produce an original radio musical. Sparks’ creation, "The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman," is a musical fantasy based on the internationally acclaimed film director Ingmar Bergman.
The radio musical will be broadcast in Sweden in August 2009. An album with the original Swedish version will be released as a limited edition in Sweden. An English version will subsequently be released internationally.
“As Americans we have almost abandoned radio drama and it was truly exhilarating for us to work in a medium where the imagination of the listener is so integral a part of the work. Aside from our love of Bergman, we have a love of Orson Welles and his use of the medium of radio was something that inspired us in this work.” - Ron Mael
Though his films' themes have traditionally centred on matters of death, faith, God's existence, and the struggle to find love and meaning in our lives, Bergman is confronted in the musical by the lure of a mythological Hollywood seemingly at odds with all he stands for---a Hollywood that tempts him and ultimately tries to control him. What starts as an exploration by Bergman of the possible mutual benefits of his working in Hollywood turns into a Kafkaesque nightmare, a nightmare ended with the aid of a most unlikely saviour.
“When Sveriges Radio approached us with the idea of creating our own musical for the radio, we were excited about the prospect yet hesitant at trying to figure a way to successfully fulfil their only restrictions with the project: that it incorporates the Swedish language in some manner. Once we came up with the idea of placing one of the ultimate Swedish icons and one of our favourite film directors, Ingmar Bergman, in a fantasy setting we became extremely excited about this musical and knew we were on to something special.” - Russell Mael
International broadcasts of the musical are being sourced and Sparks are planning to present the musical in a live format as well hoping to see the project be made into a motion picture.
“Although The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman was commissioned as a radio musical, we always saw it in cinematic terms. We hope that the listeners will be able, in their own minds, to see the same movie that we wrote on hearing it on the radio and that at some point an actual film can be made of this piece. We would also like to present The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman as a theatre piece and perhaps this will be the next stage show for Sparks.” |
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