Glyn R Brown - Mr Danko's Opus

Hard to know where to start….superb choice and usage of varied and often unusual instruments. That intro man…god's sake! I've never heard such an uplifting piece as this for a long time, it's simply staggering. Incredible movement and flair throughout, with a semi-classical feel at times. This is next level orchestration, even for Glyn. Just simply stunning…STUNNING. I suspect even Danko will be floored by this tribute.

An absolutely awesome remix. To manage the combination of a good SID and then treat it like a traditional orchestral arrangement is truly a great accomplishment. For a SID-remix it's on the longer side but constantly develops into new sounds. Only thing that nags me a little bit is the hint of a children's choir, but that's a personal thing. All in all my hat off to Danko for the composition and to Glyn for arrangement and performance, this might very well be the most beautiful remix I've heard.

It's taken me a couple of days to find the words to say about this Glyn composition.. If you aspire to write orchestral/cinematic remixes, this is your benchmark.. Just when we think we've heard it all from Mr Brown, he raises the bar yet again.. It's not just the beautifully composed arrangement that makes this shine, it's the mix as well.. You can feel the power that is there in his orchestra but it is controlled so well, delivering just the right amount of emotion in just the right places.. The mix in this track delivers a truly authentic sounding cinema-piece.. You just know this would drop straight into a movie.. I think this is the best piece of Glyn R Brown that I've heard to date.. and how he has never won 'Remixer of the Year' is beyond me.. This year.. Surely!!

What just happened?! Glyn R Brown, The Greatest C64 Remixer of All Time , taking music that I composed at ages 13 to 15 into consideration for a nine minute tribute? The word remix is totally out of context here. This is an interpretation worthy to stand on it's own, shoulder to shoulder with anything cinematic you can come to think of. The, to Glyn's previous repertoire, new element of spanish guitar strumming rhythmical chord progressions is a very clever and playful addition to break up almost nine minutes of Cinematic Orchestral supremacy. Every time I listen to anything by Glyn, I can hear him discovering a hidden chord progression or melody and bring it out of the original composition. This piece of music is no exception in that regard, I think I knew these simple, almost naively mundane, melodies from my childhood. Yet, Glyn found something else that I was not aware of existing in my own music. Technique - Are you kidding me? I know people making Cinematic music for a living, nowhere near as capable as Glyn. Artistic skill - Taking something of mine, and genuinely making it his own. That requires a true artist, not merely a remixer. Nostalgia factor - Holy shit. These original songs are 35-37 years old by now and an integral part of my childhood. I still remember the days when I composed them, where I was and how I felt. Not sure how to get any more nostalgic than that for me personally. It's going to take me some time to let this sink in, currently I am incapable of comprehending what just happened. Most likely I will freak out when I suspect it the least and the fact hits me like a ton of bricks. The fact that Glyn R Brown gifted me this tribute. I will never be worthy, Glyn. But I'll take it!

Glyn may have called this Mr Danko's Opus, but he has absolutely turned it into Glyn's Opus.

A stunning display of the mastery of the cinematic orchestra, arranged and performed with the highest levels of professionalism. I cannot listen to this in the background - it demands my full attention, and when I close my eyes and go along with Glyn on the journey he invited us on, those 9 minutes just fly by.

Using Danko's 'Opus' series as a backbone, Glyn has weaved an intricate and marvelous musical story. From the soft sounds of a piano emerges a delicate intro that slowly turns into a romantic piece. After a short break we get a more forceful barrage of staccato orchestral hits - which ends abruptly as we suddenly drop into the deep and mysterious tones of woodwinds. From those depths we slowly emerge to the surface where we are greeted by an angelic voice and the brightness of high brass. Another break and we find ourselves - in a Spanish village where lovely flamenco music rules the world. As we leave the village behind, we are yet again introduced to an angelic voice that accompanies us on our journey together with a full choir. Our story concludes in an upbeat fashion where the entire ensemble of the orchestra is in full display. At the very end we are greeted by a children's choir (which I wished was featured longer). And… that was it? Yep, those 9 minutes flew by, didn't they?

Well, at least this is the story that I am hearing, but I'm sure everybody will find their own journey in this piece.

A mesmerizing tour de force from a very talented musician.

Just wow.