The Journey Begins with a gentle solo piano, which is soon joined by warm strings, piano, glockenspiel and flute in a gentle pastoral mood, at which point the piece evolves into a symphonic waltz, with soaring strings and a romantic flute melody. A short break with harp arpeggios is followed again by the symphonic waltz. The music has a distinctly old English flavour, almost as if it were written sometime in the 18th Century, and the whole piece conjures images of the gentle rolling countryside, peaceful villages and sleepy towns.
Into Infinity is a mysterious and intimate piece, with the faintest of pianos, strings, harps and flutes in a mystic cascade, before evolving into a waltz like lament, made all the more evocative and ghostly with the addition of a church organ and choir. The music is bittersweet and reflective, dreamy and lyrical, as if it were some ancient fable told in musical form. Even perhaps the soundtrack of a sad ghost story told of the middle ages.
The warmth of a beach in summer envelops the sound of Eternity’s Ocean, which weaves an evocative tale of romance and mystery; bold and passionate, yet sensitive and emotive, the gentle lapping of waves and descending bell tones seem to beckon the listener to submerge themselves in this most intimate of moods. As with so much of Clifford’s music, there seems to be a story being told here, the details of which remain just out of our reach. Suffice to say that these tales are replete with romance and nostalgia.
Beginning almost like a lullaby, with a gentle piano and the lightest of melodies, Rapture soon emerges as a spiritual anthem, with soaring organs, choirs and flutes, almost hymnal in its structure. Soon joined by strings, the melody is both passionate and wistful, and the addition of choirs lifts the music up to the heavens on a carpet ride of emotion.
As if the previous raw emotions on display weren’t enough, Clifford delves even deeper into the mystic with the plaintive and romantic Love’s Awakening which, beginning with solo piano alone, soon evolves into another delicious waltz like piece, again reminiscent of bygone ages and historic eras lost in the mists of time. Similarly with Forevergreen, the music seems to effortlessly glide, spin and sail it way through the ages.
Matters take a more serious turn in The Blessed which, whilst continuing with the pastoral mood, delves deeper into the mystic, with soaring choirs and symphonic strings, almost as if the story being told is also one of great lost loves and the deepest of sorrows, cries of the eternal and of ageless lamentations. Soon a gentle piano and organ take us on a deeper journey to infinite space, where the music drops away to leave a lone piano to shed its silent tears. Then joined by flute, the melodies continue to weave around each other, as if searching for meaning and purpose, before they rejoin the orchestra for a final climactic and emotional ending, which itself then gives way to a mystic passage of descending motifs, and then silence.
Almost as if continuing on from where The Blessed left off, Revelation is a bold and dramatic symphonic peace, full of passion and courage.
Tears of Innocence seems to effortlessly combine the bold and symphonic styles of the album with a gentle, child-like and lyrical atmosphere to achieve a touching synthesis of emotion that is both wistful and tender in equal measure. Again, the balletic atmosphere is evident, with a delightful and gentle waltz type feeling throughout the piece.
We conclude Revelation with The Never Ending Dream, a light and joyous piece, suffused with happy memories of endless summers and the eternal playtimes of childhood.
Clifford White has created a beautifully poetic and romantic symphony with his Revelation album. In many ways the album sounds like it could have been written hundreds of years ago. A mystic ballet with an unseen storyline, Revelation is a crowning achievement for Clifford, and a clear validation of his exceptional composition ability to produce music that is touching and emotional, yet ageless and timeless.
