From the back cover...
Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
published by: Melodie Der Welt For Germany, © 1995
All the other tracks are published by Woolfsongs Ltd/Careers Music Inc.
Administered by Careers Musics Inc. (A division of BMG Publishing)
The tracks on this album are a selection from the Aachen/Alsdorf
Productions of the musical GAUDI.
KARTEN (TICKET) SERVICE 0180-5302020
(c) 1995 by gmg - Gaudi Musical GmbH
(p) 1995 Wea Music, Warner Music Germany, A Warner Music Group Company
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Extracts and partial translations from the inlay...
Idee/Komposition/Text/Sounddesign:
Autor und Komponist: Eric Woolfson
Author and composer for over 20 years... rock and roll...
for the Alan Parsons Project... Grammy nominee and....
Also author and composer of the 1990 musical
Freudiana.
Die Macher:
Regisseur: Elmar Ottenthal
... at the Grand Theater of Liceu in Barcelona, the
Scala Theater in Malaysia, the Vienna Staatsoper,
the Royal Circle in Brussels, and the Hamburg
Staatsoper. From 1989-1992.. [produced?] "Cats,"
"Les Miserables," "Phantom of the Opera," and
"Elizabeth," all in 1992 at the Aachen Theater, and now
in 1993, "Gaudi" producer.
Sounddesigner: Haydn Bendall
... Abbey Road Studios in London. Also has engineered
for Al Stewart, Elton John, George Benson,
John Miles,
Kate Bush, Mike Oldfield, Paul McCartney, Pat Metheny,
Simply Minds, and Tina Turner. For "Gaudi," he serves
as the engineer, plays some keyboards, and programmed
synthesizers.
- Wesley Chun |
| Scene by Scene Overview |
|---|
| ACT 1 - Barcelona 1993 (early evening) |
| THE AWARD CEREMONY |
The author Don Parker receives the Antonio Gaudí Prize
for Literature. The ceremony takes place in the Teatro Liceu
in Barcelona. In his acceptance speech Don Parker describes
the influence that Gaudí's art-works, imagination and private
life, had over his novel. He remembers as well to thank his new
manager Mark Winner and his public relations agent Isabella.
An old man listens. |
Don Parker, Isabella, Mark Winner
The Old Man, Ensemble, Choir
|
| AWARDS RECEPTION |
The awards reception after the awards ceremony. Press
representatives from all the media and fans congratulate Don Parker.
Mark Winner draws the attention towards himself from the company.
An old man crosses the stage. |
Don Parker, Isabella, Mark Winner
The Old Man, Ensemble, Choir
"WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?" |
THE GLORIFICATION
OF MONEY |
The agent holds Isabella responsible for Don Parker's
absence and demands that she return him, to meet his obligations.
Mark Winner's motto: "Money is Power". |
|---|
Isabella, Mark Winner, Ensemble
(choreography: Duddy)
"MONEY TALKS" |
| DON PARKER'S ESCAPE |
Don Parker flees through the streets of Barcelona to his
beloved Gaudí creations. He meets some groups with tour guides.
An old man writes. |
| Don Parker, The Old Man, Choir |
| CASA MILA |
On the roof of the Casa Milá, Don Parker feels himself
closer to his artistic goals. |
|---|
Don Parker, The Old Man, Ensemble
(choreography: Wissmann)
"CLOSER TO HEAVEN" |
| PARCEO DE GRACIA |
Night in the street "Parceo de Gracia" near the Casa Milá.
Here all of Barcelona meets. Mark Winner is celebrating.
An old man stands by the window. |
|---|
Isabella, Mark Winner, Ensemble
Choir
(step dance: Meurer) |
| THE DISCUSSION |
Isabella finds Don Parker in a side-walk café. She attempts
to persuade him to find a compromise between art and money. This leads
to a heated discussion between Don Parker and Isabella about Antonio
Gaudí's way of life. At the end they make an appointment to see
each other in Parca Güell.
An old man sits at the table. |
Don Parker, Isabella, The Old Man
Ensemble, Choir
"STANDING ON HIGHER GROUND" |
| PARCA GÜELL |
It is midnight. Dreamily Don Parker brings a fantasy-world of
Gaudí to life. Isabella cannot resist the magic.
Mark Winner feels nearer to his goal. |
Don Parker, Isabella, Mark Winner
The Old Man, Ensemble
(choreography: Duddy)
"PARCA GÜELL" |
| INTERMISSION |
| ACT 2 - The Next Day |
| VISIONS |
Fantastic dream of Don Parker in which he meets Isabella. |
Don Parker, Isabella, Ensemble
(choreography: Wissmann)
"GAUDIS VISIONS" |
| THE AWAKENING |
Isabella admits her feelings to herself. |
Isabella, Don Parker
"INSIDE LOOKING OUT" |
| THE CONSTRUCTION SITE |
Work on the Sagrada Familia.
An old man describes in a letter from the Prison on Eusebi a work-revolt. |
Don Parker, The Old Man
Ensemble, Choir
"WORK SONG" |
| IN THE BATHHOUSE |
Business does not go forward as planned. Isabella decides
for Don Parker. |
Don Parker, Isabella,
The Old Man, Ensemble
"TOO LATE NOW" |
| THE TEMPTATION |
A procession follows an old man. The temptation of the
forbidden. |
Don Parker, Isabella,
The Old Man, Ensemble, Choir
(choreography: Duddy)
"FORBIDDEN FRUIT" |
| SIDELIGHTS |
The tour guides argue over the man Gaudí.
An old man sells postcards. |
| The Old Man, Choir |
| THE TRAIN STATION |
Don Parker faces his decision. He realizes that running away
is no solution.
An old man is run over by a train. |
Don Parker, Isabella
The Old Man, Ensemble
(choreography: Wissmann)
"LONELY SONG" |
| FINALE |
- |
Don Parker, Isabella, Mark Winner,
The Old Man, Ensemble, Choir
"LA SAGRADA FAMILIA" |
|
Extracts from a Gaudi Theatre Programme...
The author Don Parker receives a prize for literature named after
the Catalonian architect Gaudí. Parker has to decide
between "money" represented by his agent Mark Winner and his
assistant Isabella, and "art".
He flees to the buildings of his hero Gaudí and meets
an old man who reminds him of Gaudí.
Don Parker and Isabella fall in love adding a further
complication to the conflict between money and art.
"The choice between profit, art and a domestic life is one
that is made by every creative person." (Eric Woolfson)
Elmar Ottenthal on the Idea...
During the time I first worked with
Eric Woolfson,
in 1990 in Vienna, on
"Freudiana",
the conversation turned one evening to the architect
Antonia Gaudí.
Eric's
memories of his stay in Barcelona were
similar to mine of my stay, when I directed a production at the Gran
Teatro del Liceu. The aura of Gaudí's art having so
influenced us, we were both taken, almost at the same time, with his
life story. The parallels gripped us both. I suggested a musical
be written, based on Gaudí's uncompromising attitude of an
artist, sacrificing everything for his art. Poor and unknown, Gaudí
died after a streetcar accident. When he was taken to hospital, nobody
recognised him. Gaudí lived such a lonely life that nobody
reported him missing. All that remains of him is his architecture, and
of that, one of his most famous works, the "Sagrada Familia" remains
to this day unfinished.
Eric
and I spoke about the life, lived only for art's sake, and the
loneliness resulting therefrom. We found no personal answer, but
a story for the musical. I am profoundly happy that
Eric pursued
this idea for our production in Aachen; through this work, during
the rehearsal, we approach, a little nearer to an answer.
Eric Woolfson on the Idea...
In the early 1980's I was on a promotional trip to Barcelona. In
between appointments, the local representative of the record
company took me to see Gaudí's "Sagrada Familia" cathedral.
It was an unforgettable experience, filled with a a sense of
excitement, that I had made an important discovery, both for myself
as an individual, and as an inspiration for future musical works.
I first developed the Gaudí theme as a concept album for
"The Alan Parsons Project" in 1986 [see
Gaudi]. Being a recording, there
was no defined storyline. However, when some years later, Elmar
Ottenthal suggested developing Gaudí into a stage musical,
I eagerly accepted the challenge to create a libretto and additional
music and lyrics. For me, the importance of Gaudí does not
lie so much in the story of his life, but rather in the impact of
his creative legacy. His single-minded pursuit of originality and
excellence is an inspiration and a warning to us all.
|
| Text from an English promotional flyer...
Euro Musical Hall -- Alsdorf/Aachen
Gaudi -- A World of Fantasy
The Musical
By Eric Woolfson
Produced by Elmar Ottenthal
From May 26th 1995 daily except mondays
TICKET SERVICE
Souvenir shop in the lobby
THE STORY
In Barcelona, the gifted author Don Parker receives a price[sic]
for literature named after the Catalonian architekt[sic] GAUDI.
Parker, who like his idol, GAUDI, has dedicated his life to the arts.
During the awards ceremony Parker find himself already being heavily
pressured to commercialize. Not only his agent Mark Winner but also
his PR manager Isabella want to convince Parker to use the "Prize"
for economic and financial purposes. Find himself torn between pure
ARY and MONEY, Parker feels to the architecture of his trusted idol.
Here he meets an old man whose personality reminds him of Gaudi.
This encounter resolves his conflict and he chooses for the arts.
Isabella adds a new dimension, which now forces Parker to choose
between LOVE and ART. Will his close bond to Gaudi, in his world
of fantasy help him this time?
"The choice between profit, art and a domestic life is one
that must be made by every creative person."
(Eric Woolfson)
Multivisual sets, incorporating the whole seating area into the
performance, allow the visitor to actually sit amongst the buildings
of Gaudi, and give him the illusion of strolling through the streets
of Barcelona. High quality sound adds another dimension to the musical
interpretation. The ultimate accoustic[sic] experience! The musical
as the gateway to the world of fantasy.
(Dialogues in german and songs in english language)
The whole seating area is integrated into the performance. Every
seat with optimal view and sound. Even the furthest seat is only
18 metres from the stage.
All prices in deutsch marks. Please note that evening performances
on weekdays, before a public holiday, fall into the same category as
Friday performances. As of 8/94. Effective immediately. All rights
reserved. Tickets may not be exchanged or refunded.
Eric Woolfson, Composer and Author
With over 44 million sold albums,
Eric Woolfson is one of the best
pop musicians in the world, being one of the most successful composers
in the rock and pop scene. His songs have been covered by more than
a hundred artists. He conceived, wrote and composed all ten albums
for "The Alan Parsons Project", which he founded in 1975. For this
work he received numerous "Grammy nominations" and other awards.
Elmar Ottenthal, Director
Amoungst[sic] many other places, he directed at the Gran Teatre de
Liceu in Barcelona, Teatro all Scala in Milan, the "Staatsoper" in
Vienna, the "Staatsoper" in Hamburg, together with Leonard Bernstein,
at the Opera Company in Cambridge. From 1989 to 1992 he was Deputy
Art Director for Director Peter Weck at the "Vereinigte Bhnen" in
Vienna - "Cats", "Les Miserables", "Phantom of the Opera", "Elisabeth".
Since 1992/93 he has taken over the position og General Director at
the Theater Aachen.
Hannes Rader, Set Designer
Having studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, he has since
worked as a set and costume designer in the theatres of Salzburg,
Hildesheim, Linz, "Stdtische Bühnen" Freiburg and Klagenfurt. As
guest designer he was given the opportunity to work on numerous[sic]
of Europe's well-known stages including Teatro di San Carlo, Neaples,
Teatro Massimo, Cagliari, Opera House Graz, at the Vienna Festival
Week and the "Festspielhaus" in Salzburg. Since 1992 he has been
lecturer at the University for "Bildungswissenschaften" in Klagenfurt.
Haydn Bendall, Sound Designer
As one of the most successful sound designers and head engineers of
the world renowned Abbey Road Studios, he has mixed the sound for more
than a hundred famous artists including Al Stewart,
Alan Parsons, Elton
John,
Eric Woolfson,
John Miles,
Kate Bush, Mike Oldfield, Paul
McCartney, Simple Minds, Tina Turner, etc.
Give someone "The world of fantasy"
Also available: the GAUDI gift voucher
- Wesley Chun |
A Night At The Theatre...
(I originally posted a version of this to the
APP mailing list, after I'd had the opportunity to go and see the show for myself...)
We had to be at the theatre by 7pm in order to pick up our
tickets - and we just made it. I spent the much of the hour
until the start of the show seeing how many different products
they had managed to put the Gaudi logo on - posters, umbrellas,
keyrings, phonecards, postcards, watches, mouse pads... I didn't
buy any souvenirs just yet - but I did pick up a copy of the
programme. I also checked out who the cast were for the evening.
The role of Don Parker was taken by
John Cashmore - as it is
on both of the CDs and on the video which is now circulating.
Mark Winner was played by Jerome Hardemann and Isabella by
Lenneke Willemsen.
We took our places at about 7.45. The stage itself is T-shaped
and our seats were situated just to the left of the vertical, about
halfway down.
At around 8pm, the lights dimmed and the show began with a
lengthy tirade from Der Alte Mann (The Old Man) - unfortunately
most of it was lost on me as a result of my poor grasp of
the German language. He chalked the name 'Gaudi' onto the
stage before leaving.
The first song was
What Are You Going To Do Now?. The music
throughout the show was played from tape - there simply isn't
room in the theatre for an orchestra - but all the singing was
performed live. This opening number was enough for me to
decide that I preferred Hardemann's style to that of Moss, but
that Willemsen was probably not quite as good as Knapp. I
still prefer the Lohse/Hellberg combination though.
The first act lasted about an hour and comprised
What Are You Going To Do Now,
Money Talks,
Closer To Heaven,
It Isn't Funny If It Happens To You,
Standing On Higher,
Tango Güell,
Parca Güell and
Puppet Master.
"It Isn't Funny If It Happens To You" is one of the songs
which doesn't appear on the CD.
The scene is set in what is supposed to be
a very touristy part of Barcelona. Just prior to the song,
a couple of the members of the audience were pulled up on
stage in order to have souvenirs 'sold' to them. This was
the first (but not the last) time that I was glad not
to be sitting right in the aisle...
Puppet Master
was the grand finale to the first act and
Hardemann received a standing ovation... but that was mostly
because, in his role as the Puppet Master, he demanded
that it should be so - there's nothing quite like a little
mass audience participation. The audience participation
became a little more personal for my companion (who was
sitting in the aisle) when the Puppet Master's dancing
troupe came along the side of the stage and danced with
a few 'lucky' members of the audience. This was the
second time that I was glad to be sitting in a 'safe'
seat!
During the interval we went up to the bar (the "Café Güell")
and had a drink... and there were Gaudi Ice Creams on sale
should we have felt the urge. We also noticed that a number
of the minor cast members were milling around selling CDs
and programmes.
The interval lasted about 20 minutes before we were allowed
back into the auditorium.
Act Two opened with "Visions" which was the real revelation
of the evening, it doesn't
appear on either of the CDs. This is
rather unfortunate because, on my first (and only!) listening
I thought that it was one of the best instrumentals I've
ever heard. There were shades of
Where's The Walrus? in
there - but I thought that it was vastly superior. Just my
opinion, of course, and it's rather disappointing to think
that I will probably never hear it again.
The rest of the second act (again, lasting about an hour in
total) consisted of
Inside Looking Out,
Too Late,
Forbidden Fruit,
Lonely Song and
La Sagrada Familia.
Personal high spots for the second half were
Too Late and
La Sagrada Familia.
I regarded the latter as an epilogue
to the rest of the show and it featured some quite interesting
effects. (In fact, the whole show had some quite clever,
and smoothly integrated special effects).
The entire cast then took a number of curtain calls (three,
I think) before we left.
Of course, I couldn't go home empty handed, so I picked up
a poster and a rather nice mouse pad which incorporates
both the Gaudi and Gambler logos!
So, to summarise it was a great evening - and I'd recommend
it to anyone who can make it. Apparently the show will be
moving to Düsseldorf shortly, and I don't know whether Gaudi
will continue to run once Gambler starts up - so you might
have to move quickly!
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| Notes...
There are two versions of this album. One, it seems, was
manufactured privately by Gaudi Musical GmbH, the other
was produced by WEA and is intended for
wider release.
Although almost all of the original Gaudi tracks appear on this
album (the exception being Paseo de Gracia), they
are all very different in execution. In some cases there
are lyric changes - ranging from very minor ones to the insertion
of new verses - and in all cases the songs have a very different feel.
Alan Parsons gets no writing credit at all. If
Eric is trying to
distance himself from the Project (as has been suggested) then this probably explains
the absence of
Paseo de Gracia
which, if reports of the balance of writing are to be believed, was almost
certainly written largely by
Alan Parsons.
After an impressive run, and after being homed in Aachen, Alsdorf and
Cologne,
Gaudi closed in late 1998 due to falling attendances. Reports at the
time suggested that the Gaudi musical company had to file for bankruptcy,
although these were unconfirmed.
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