Troy Donockley's second solo disc cannot in any
way be described as mainstream classical but is an absolute stunner
nonetheless. Donockley is best known as a member of the brilliant
Celtic Christian rock group Iona, who have made many magnificent
recordings (e.g. Journey Into the Morn, Beyond These
Shores), often embellished by guest appearances from the great
and good of the Celtic and progressive rock milieu, Robert Fripp
and Maire Brennan (Clannad) for instance. Likewise Troy has also
appeared with such luminaries as Breton harp genius Alan Stivell
and I am happy to report that his superb credentials and connections
feature heavily here too. Van Morrison pianist Neil Drinkwater
contributes to several tracks and Steeleye Span's Peter Knight
pops up on one. Current and former Iona members also feature,
with Joanne Hogg's magical voice, Terl Bryant's percussion and
Nick Beggs' soulful Chapman stick all involved. What we have though
is very much more than an all star line up running through a few
songs. This is a lovingly crafted and conceived project with a
true spiritual bent, although less overtly Christian than Iona.
The classical feel to many of the pieces is provided
by the integral involvement of the Emperor String Quartet and
York Cantores Choir and the overall impression is very much reminiscent
of the Fripp/King Crimson/David Sylvian/NoMan progressive axis
with, obviously, a greater emphasis on Celtic themes and instrumentation.
The latter aspect also recalls Mike Oldfield's superb collaborations
with Maddy Prior (Incantations) and The Chieftains (Ommadawn),
not forgetting Troy's own astonishing Uillean pipe arrangement
of Finlandia (as We rest on Thee our Shield and Defender
on Be Thou My Vision: Celtic Expressions of Worship, Volume
1). One track also even reminds me of late Joy Division!
The opening Conscious is a shortish track
- less than five minutes - but introduces us straightaway to the
choir and string quartet. The title track, The Pursuit of Illusion,
has a fascinating background, being based on a First World War
Chinese magician who died tragically when his "bullet catching
act" went wrong. I hear it as an extended allegorical meditation,
beautifully sung by Joanne Hogg, even by her very high standards,
on the transience of the human experience, on this earth at least
- eight minutes of spellbinding music! Little Window which
follows is indeed as its title suggests as Donockley's guitar
meshes with Drinkwater's piano, Bryant's percussion and Chris
Redgate's lyrical oboe to provide a gentle postlude to the stunning
Illusion.
The ten minute Floating World features
Knight and Beggs, along with Andy Duncan's ethnic percussion in
a piece that seems to revisit original 1970s prog-rock preoccupations.
A Bridge, which is just that, then merges into Fragment,
another truly inspired piece, again with Hogg's vocals to the
fore and again with an intriguing genesis. This time the text
is taken from the Unknown Books of the Essenes, the latter
being the militant but mystical Jewish sect finally routed at
Masada by the Romans in 73 AD. The translation used is highly
poetic and would have been worthy of inclusion on one of Iona's
own albums. Finally the two part, twenty minute Colour of The
Door proves that Troy Donockley really does believe in leaving
the best until last. The two minute first part provides scant
preparation for the astonishing tour de force that part
two is revealed as. I am not entirely sure as to the subject matter
but it is clearly of a deep spiritual nature. It ranges far and
wide, from almost whispered, melancholic vocals (this time by
Troy himself) set against tintinnabulating bells, through string
driven meditations to full on choir and organ and sequenced arpeggios,
and really has to be heard to be believed. In all this a distinct
thread, theme, whatever you want to call it, is maintained, thereby
giving direction and discipline to a piece that could otherwise
have pulled in too many different directions at once. A fine end
to a fine record. It had me reaching for my old Iona albums plus
King Crimson etc is and highly recommended to anyone who loves
both modern and accessible classical music and high quality rock/folk/ambient.
I now cannot wait to hear the previous solo effort, even if it
only half as good as this.
Neil Horner
Troy Donockley, voice,
guitar, mandola, whistles, Uillean pipes, keyboards