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23: Neal Morse AUDIO DOWNLOADS: PLAYLIST: Overture, from the 2003 album Testimony The Door (introduction and excerpt) from the 2007 album Sola Scriptura Ricard Wagner: The Storm Before the Calm, Gian Carlo Menotti: The Creation, from the 2004 album One Thomas Morley: Author of Confusion (excerpt) from the 2004 album One Sweet Elation, from the 2005 album ? Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah And the Glory of the Lord, from the 2005 album ? The Conflict (excerpt),
Neal Morse grew up in California and began playing both piano and guitar as a young child. His father was a choir director, and as he was growing up Neal sang with his father frequently. Neal recalls that one of his most memorable experiences was when he was 9, when he played the lead role of Amahl in the Christmas opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" by Gian Carlo Menotti. He also recalls singing madrigals, particularly "Now in the Month of Maying," at Renaissance fairs. Throughout his 20s he was part of the LA music scene, writing two musicals and trying to get a recording deal as a singer / songwriter. Tiring of LA, Neal then traveled through Europe for several years, performing in small venues along the way. Upon returning to the US he formed the band Spock's Beard, which quickly became one of the most prominent prog bands of the 90s. He also participated in the prog supergroup Transatlantic. In a surprising move and motivated by his recent conversion to Christianity he left both bands in 2002 to pursue a solo career. In this episode we present material from each of Neal's post-Beard progressive rock albums. This is the first episode to feature a telephone interview, which Neal was gracious enough to take time for. Neal chose all the classical music with the exception of Mendelssohn's "Elijah," but he expressed interest and approval when I described to him that it "Behold the Glory of the Lord" would sound great paired with his "And the Glory of the Lord." |