Armstrong Returns with 'As If To Nothing'
Craig Armstrong releases his new album 'As If To Nothing' on April 15th 2002. The single 'Wake Up in New York features Evan Dando will be out April 29th 2002.
It sounds familiar... You might not know his name but you REALLY know his music! Let us refresh your memory...
Craig Armstrong paid his dues at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he specialised in composition and piano. He won several awards including the Charles Lucas Prize and the Harvey Lohr scholarship for composition and in his final year was awarded a Fellowship in Composition (FTCL) from Trinity College. He has received commissions from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the BT Ensemble and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and has worked extensively for the theatre composing works for the Tron Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
But it's probably on the big screen and on record where Craig Armstrong is going to be most familiar to you. His orchestral work can be heard on tracks from the likes of Madonna, U2, Suede, Pavarotti, The Pet Shop Boys and Massive Attack. His film work includes scores for Peter Mullan's Trilogy: 'Close', 'Fridge' and 'A good day for the bad guys', and his most recent movie 'Orphans', which won Best Film at the Venice Film Festival 1999.
Other film scores include, 'Best Laid Plans', 'Plunkett and Macleane', 'The Bone Collector' (for which Armstrong received the ASCAP 1999 Award) and Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo and Juliet', winner of the Anthony Asquith Bafta Award and an Ivor Novello for Best Original Score. This year Armstrong worked with Luhrmann again providing the score for his musical blockbuster, 'Moulin Rouge' as well as the new Bridget Fonda and Jet Lee film, 'Kiss of the Dragon'.
Signed to Massive Attack's Melankolic label, Craig releases 'As If To Nothing', the follow-up to his 1998 critically acclaimed debut solo album, 'The Space Between Us' in February next year. The eagerly awaited release features a number of collaborations including one with Bono and the Edge who have recorded an acoustic version of 'Stay (Far Away, So Close)' from U2's 'Zooropa' album. Craig had previously arranged the strings for U2s soundtrack work on the Batman film. Other guest vocalists on 'As If To Nothing' include Evan Dando, who recorded a track entitled 'Wake Up In New York'. David McAlmont contributed vocals on 'Snow' and Antye, from the German band Laub, added her talents to the song 'Waltz'.
So repeat after us: Craig Armstrong. Classically trained composer. Works with Madonna, U2, Nelle Hooper, Massive Attack. Writes beautiful contemporary orchestral music speaking of love, life, loss, and longing, with the grace and delicacy of classical music and the passion and intensity of the best pop. Pass that on to 10 people and something really good will happen to you... promise
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