Robin Smith: No – the moment you have an orchestra, you do lose that intimacy, so I tend to look at it as a modern representation, as would Hans Zimmer when he does his concerts. Or if you went to see The 1975. It’s a core of musicians playing the notes, with a whole array of sounds and effects that run parallel. That’s what Mike and I did in Tubular Bells II.

Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) In the early 20th century tubular bells were also incorporated into theater organs to produce effects. What goes into getting this whole production together? It’s not as large as having an orchestra, but still… Robin Smith: There are plenty of those, my word! I really respect that, and as I said, they can go down to the pub and see a band play that almost every weekend. There’s somebody always doing that. In fact, this year the concerts are full of people doing the original version as it is – somebody’s doing the [1974] version by David Bedford with an orchestra. The difference is, I started this six years ago when I played it to Mike – who said, “This is absolutely beautiful, Robin. Do finish this off.” So I didn’t actually write this for the anniversary, I wrote this to bring it to an audience because I love the work; it’s coincidental that we’re playing it on the anniversary. Smith has collaborated with Mike Oldfield for over 30 years, with performances of Tubular Bells including at Edinburgh Castle, and also the 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.Robin is thrilled to be performing a work he’s loved since he first heard it in 1973. He collaborated with Mike Oldfield on Tubular Bells 2 and 3 including live performances at Edinburgh Castle, Horseguards Parade in London, The Millennium Bell in Berlin and the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony - when he first talked to Mike about his idea for this re-imagined version.

Tubular Bells gained further exposure when the introduction to Part One was used in William Friedkin’s 1973 film The Exorcist.Several sections of music on Tubular Bells were written by Oldfield and recorded as demos on cassette before he entered the Manor — a 16th century building bought by Branson and converted into a recording studio — to begin work on the album. A repeated motif So I would definitely say to anybody who only knows the beginning is to embrace it, listen to it, and come and see us – I have tried to take the whole work and give it an overall modern sound which hopefully enhances all these different episodes. There are some bits which, when changed slightly, the orchestration sounds like it could have been the Game Of Thrones theme or from a Hans Zimmer film. As I mentioned, the performance was set over two sessions. The first session delivered a brilliantly constructed listing made up of some of Mike Oldfield’s “Greatest Hits”. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn)

It was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in August 2021 to great acclaim, as an early celebration of Mike Oldfield’s stunning work – so to be touring the UK in the 50th year is a huge privilege for me and a perfect tribute to one of England’s greatest composers. Tubular Bells has spawned an orchestral version of the work and two sequels, Tubular Bells II and III. Aspects of the work have been incorporated into songs by metal bands Possessed and Death Angel as well as other artists including the California Guitar trio.The original album has been mixed into Dolby Atmos by David Kosten, and this mix will be released digitally and as part of the SDE Blu Ray edition. A special digital compilation edition edition will also be available. It’s amazing to think that it’s 50 years since I started writing Tubular Bells, and I am touched that my music has reached so many people, all over the world, during that time. I am sure that the 50th Anniversary Live Concert Experience of Tubular Bells will be spectacular, theatrical, fantastical and thrilling, marking 50 years from when I started writing the music” Mike Oldfield To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mike Oldfield’s ‘ Tubular Bells’, the multi-million-selling and multi-award-winning album is being performed live in concert across the UK. Tonight at the Brighton Dome was the second show of the celebratory UK tour. Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn)

Primarily a guitarist, prior to working on Tubular Bells Oldfield had familiarised himself with a range of other stringed, keyboard and percussion instruments. A popular perception of the album’s creation is of Oldfield playing a large number of musical instruments and endlessly overdubbing his performances to produce a one-person orchestra. The show was premiered at the Royal Festival Hall in August 2021 to great acclaim as an early celebration of and tribute to Mike - who in my view is one of England’s greatest composers in the last century. Along with the musicians, it’s a real privilege to be performing this extraordinary work. It’s as fresh today as it was when Mike created it in 1971 - and I love having the chance to bring it to new audiences as well as those who, like me, are still captivated by it whenever they hear it. In tubular bells, modes 4, 5, and 6 appear to determine the strike tone and have frequencies in the ratios 9 2:11 2:13 2, or 81:121:169, "which are close enough to the ratios 2:3:4 for the ear to consider them nearly harmonic and to use them as a basis for establishing a virtual pitch". [3] The perceived "strike pitch" is thus an octave below the fourth mode (i.e., the missing "1" in the above series). Originally released on 25th May 1973, the Tubular Bells The 50th Anniversary Celebration tour will feature an expansive live group, arranged by Mike Oldfield’s long-term collaborator Robin A Smith.There are some things we make with our technology that you literally can’t create live. Just because you’ve got a string sound [on the record] doesn’t necessarily mean you want an orchestra playing all the way through it. You take each section and you make it as vibrant and as modern as possible. The performance also features other works by Mike Oldfield including Moonlight Shadow, Summit Day, Family Man and Ommadawn. The orchestra got together for a well-deserved bow for the Brighton crowd who were now on their feet for the second time tonight. It was THAT good! Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ The 50th Anniversary Celebration, Brighton Dome 5.2.23 (pic Ian Bourn) Robin Smith: I’ve got a funny feeling that if I lived there as well, I probably wouldn’t have left! He’s wonderful, and is an incredibly creative person – I’ve always respected the massive, intense creative bubble that he has. Over the years, I’ve worked with him from Tubular Bells II onwards: on all the albums, [1996’s] Voyager album and various other pieces, and it’s always been an amazing experience to be around him. He’s not really interested in being a famous artist or performer. Everything about him is about creating beautiful, beautiful music, so when you’re part of it, it’s just a real privilege.