Tubular Bells (50th Anniversary Edition)

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Robin Smith: No – the moment you have an orchestra, you do lose that intimacy, so I tend to look at it as a modern representation, as would Hans Zimmer when he does his concerts. Or if you went to see The 1975. It’s a core of musicians playing the notes, with a whole array of sounds and effects that run parallel. That’s what Mike and I did in Tubular Bells II. Once the performers begin playing Tubular Bells and the acrobats take the stage Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Tour becomes an entertaining mix of music and visuals with the acrobats’ performance complimenting the music but never taking the spotlight from it. The arrangement itself is close enough to the original that it doesn’t sound overly different, apart from replacing the late Vivian Stanshall as Master of Ceremonies.

Robin is thrilled to be performing a work he’s loved since he first heard it in 1973. He collaborated with Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells 2 and 3 including live performances at Edinburgh Castle, Horseguards Parade in London, The Millennium Bell in Berlin and the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony - when he first talked to Mike about his idea for this re-imagined version. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Tubular Bells, the iconic masterpiece will be performed live with a full band across the UK in Spring 2023. The Tubular Bells Concert 2023 Tour is conducted and arranged by Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin Smith. Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the percussion family. [1] Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillon, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the sound of church bells within an ensemble. [2] Each bell is a metal tube, 1 + 1⁄ 4– 1 + 1⁄ 2in) in diameter, tuned by altering its length. Its standard range is C 4–F 5, though many professional instruments reach G 5. Tubular bells are often replaced by studio chimes, which are a smaller and usually less expensive instrument. Studio chimes are similar in appearance to tubular bells, but each bell has a smaller diameter than the corresponding bell on tubular bells.

Well I can’t believe it’s 25 years since I bought the 25 anniversary CD! Now it’s the big Five O! The CD omits Tubular X that appears on the vinyl. TB4 intro 2017 demo would have been better off left off the disc as it’s a rejigged blender of very familiar sounds from the original and sounds like a kid in his bedroom doing a ‘variation’ into his Mac book! TB2 was enough of a rejig and TB3 was at least a techno outing but this is totally uneventful. The London Olympics 2012 is cool though and the swing section was new for Mike. The York remix is an ambient techno workout which hits the discotheque full blast, it’s like a Pet Shop Boys remix! Just imagine Neil Tennant as MC! “Grand Piano!” The wonderful thing about Tubular Bells is that it never seems to age, the actual composition is just perfect and is as spell-binding now as it was 50 years ago. I told Mike I wanted to reimagine [ Tubular Bells] as a ballet, and he sent me a message saying, “Robin, this is beautiful – find a choreographer but do one thing for me. Don’t involve me at all because I won’t get involved.” That always makes me laugh – I’ve got it pinned on my wall. Does that tell you something? But he’s been very supportive. When we first premiered this version at the Royal Festival Hall [in 2021] for 10 performances, he sent the most beautiful messages through.

Robin Smith: I haven’t seen him for a while – the last time was at the 2012 Olympics in London. He’s kind of retired.The whole evening was wrapped up with an energetic arrangement of the ‘Hornpipe!’ I didn’t expect that. It had the crowd up, with feet tapping, clapping hands and happy smiling faces, thanks to the wave of nostalgia that had just been perfectly delivered and washed over us. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn)