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The Taliesin Orchestra CoversWhile some artists choose to take inspiration from other music, the Taliesin Orchestra has chosen to take things one step further. Instead of using musical cues and creating a new piece of music, the group takes entire songs and converts them for orchestra performances that add a new dimension to the tunes. The three main artists that form the backbone of the Taliesin Orchestra are Charles Sayre, Felicia Sorensen, and Trammell Starks. Sayre does most of the technical work of conducting and arranging, while Starks plays the keyboard on most pieces and Sorensen gives the unique vocal sound of the group.The Taliesin Orchestra first made an international splash from their native Britain when they decided to do an album of covers from the popular band, Enya. The lush arrangements gave the songs a new context and the album, titled Orinoco Flow: The Music of Enya, sold relatively well. This debut album placed them under the New Age genre of music, a label which they have fought to escape from. Their second album was an attempt to move away from New Age interpretations and focused more on rock and roll music. Called Rock Rhapsody, the album that moved the Taliesin Orchestra away from New Age music was about as far a departure as possible. Retaining their signature method of applying classical instrumentation to well known musical pieces, the group used a number of famous rock and roll songs a the base of their performance. Some of the more famous pieces that were present on the album included 'Another Brick in the Wall' by Pink Floyd and 'Layla' by Eric Clapton. The album was released in 2008 and introduced a new audience to the group. The next direction of the Taliesin Orchestra is unknown, but one should not be surprised to see something as far fetched as orchestral hip hop music. |