‘5’ is a brand new orchestral album from Tony Banks and will be released on 2 February 2018 through BMG Records.
A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of Genesis (2010), ‘5’ is Banks’ tenth album outside of the band and his third orchestral album following the releases of ‘Seven: A Suite for Orchestra’ (2004) and ‘Six Pieces for Orchestra’ (2012).
‘5’ is a collection of five compositions written by Tony Banks and was produced by long-time collaborator Nick Davis. Nick Ingman, renowned orchestrator and conductor, agreed to be involved in the project immediately after hearing the demos played to him personally by Banks. Ingman has worked with a plethora of artists and musicians from David Bowie and Oasis to the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
The recording was built up over various sessions, the first in London’s Angel Studios where solos and percussion were recorded before a transfer to Prague for a week where concentrated sets of three sessions a day with the orchestra and choir. Recording section by section is a more rock/pop method and seen as unorthodox for an orchestral album, but this method allowed Banks, who also played all of the piano parts*, to use his vast musical experience and give himself greater creative control.
The impetus for ‘5’ was a commission for the 70th Cheltenham Music Festival in 2014, for which Banks composed the original version of what now appears as the opening track, ‘Prelude to a Million Years’. Then it was entitled ‘Arpegg’ and received its world première on Saturday 5 July 2014 with Maxime Tortelier conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
The CD Edition of FIVE.
Following some consideration, Banks and Davis worked on four further pieces to join ‘Arpegg’ and form this new album. Feeling incomplete as an album of four compositions, Banks pulled inspiration from an earlier piece composed during his Genesis days and named it ‘Renaissance’ which completed the album.
Release date has changed from the 1st February to the 23rd February 2018,
for the CD Edition and the 2nd February 2018 which may have moved to the
23rd February 2018 for the Vinyl edition.
CD Edition Track Listing
Disc: 1
1. Prelude to a Million Years
2. Reveille
3. Ebb and Flow
4. Autumn Sonata
5. Renaissance
Vinyl Edition Track Listing
Disc: 1
1. Prelude to a Million Years
Disc: 2
1. Reveille
2. Ebb and Flow
Disc: 3
1. Autumn Sonata
2. Renaissance
Record Company – BMG
On the 24.03.2017 The Czech National Symphony Orchestra posted on their official website: Genesis keyboardist Tony Banks is recording at the CNSO Studio No. 1. The CNSO has been in past either recording or performing on stage with a number of famous musicians. These included among others Sting, Moody Blues, Europe, Dimmu Borgir, ELO, Level 42, Serj Tankian, Brian May.
We are proud that in these days a member of the Genesis Tony Banks joins the list of those musicians. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Nick Ingman.
Nick Ingram, Tony Banks, Nick Davis, Two Studio Engineers.