Illusions | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 22, 2011 [1] | |||
Genre | World music | |||
Length | 1:19:34 | |||
Thomas J. Bergersen chronology | ||||
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Illusions is the first studio album by Norwegian composer Thomas J. Bergersen, of Two Steps From Hell fame. [2] It was released in June 2011. It consists of 19 tracks and features vocal performances by Vladislava Vasileva, Elitsa Todorova, Merethe Soltvedt, Kate St. Pierre, Jenifer Thigpen and Colin O'Malley, as well as instrumental performances by cellist Tina Guo, and the Capellen Orchestra. [3] The album cover and artwork are designed by Jesper Krijgsman, inspired by visuals from Beauty and the Beast. [4] Initially a digital release, the CD was made available in March 2012. [5] It has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. [6]
It took Bergersen around three years to produce the album. [3] [6] It began with him setting aside compositions he had originally created for Two Steps from Hell but which he ultimately felt were not in keeping with the group's style; he self described the compositions as "all the wonderful musical wonders of the world together in a big collective hug". [6] Originally under the working title of Nemesis II, he confirmed its final title as Illusions in September 2010. [7] Four preview tracks were released in February 2011, [2] with all proceeds going to the relief fund for the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. [8]
In January 2013, the album was released to clients promoting motion picture advertising via Extreme Music, [9] featuring 18 alternative versions of many pieces, which makes 37 tracks in total. [10]
All tracks are written by Thomas J. Bergersen
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Aura" | 7:43 |
2. | "Starvation" | 4:27 |
3. | "Dreammaker" (feat. Vladislava Vasileva) | 4:18 |
4. | "Hurt" (feat. Kate St. Pierre) | 1:43 |
5. | "Ocean Princess" (feat. Merethe Soltvedt) | 2:53 |
6. | "Gift of Life" (feat. Merethe Soltvedt & Tina Guo ) | 3:22 |
7. | "Rada" (feat. Vladislava Vasileva) | 4:23 |
8. | "A Place in Heaven" (feat. Jenifer Thigpen) | 4:16 |
9. | "Merchant Prince" (feat. Merethe Soltvedt & Kate St. Pierre) | 2:26 |
10. | "Promise" (feat. Merethe Soltvedt & Tina Guo) | 4:59 |
11. | "Femme fatale" (feat. Vladislava Vasileva) | 4:12 |
12. | "Homecoming" | 2:57 |
13. | "Immortal" (feat. Merethe Soltvedt) | 4:08 |
14. | "Remember Me" (feat. Merethe Soltvedt) | 4:30 |
15. | "Sonera" (feat. Colin O'Malley & Jenifer Thigpen) | 5:37 |
16. | "Reborn" (feat. Kate St. Pierre) | 3:53 |
17. | "Age of Gods" | 2:30 |
18. | "Illusions" (feat. Kate St. Pierre) | 8:02 |
19. | "Soulseeker" (feat. Elitsa Todorova) | 3:15 |
IFMCA-associated reviews website, MundoBSO, [11] was positive, describing it as "intense and at times beautiful... music that navigates various sources that the author surely takes advantage of to find -and expose- his own style." It was rated seven out of ten stars. [12]
Alejandro Clavijo, of ReviewsNewAge , was very positive, stating, "during those three years, Bergersen has played with the melodies until he found the perfect music in the nineteen pieces that make it up. A marvel." He concluded, "the quality and strength that are presented in this work are evident from the first seconds of listening to the touch of the last note." It was subsequently nominated for the outlet's "Album of the Year" award for 2012. [3]
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
US World Albums ( Billboard ) [13] | 13 |
Thomas Bergersen's music has been licensed for several trailers. [3]
Globus is a Santa Monica-based movie trailer music-inspired band consisting of a mix of producers, musicians, and vocalists. The band is led by composer and producer Yoav Goren.
Two Steps from Hell is an production music company based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 2006 by Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix, a pair of composers born in Norway and England respectively. The two friends created the company to make trailer music demos to be circulated exclusively within the movie advertising industry for the purpose of licensing; they are partnered with Extreme Music who handle licensing arrangements. The duo are among the most successful in their field, having supplied background tracks for thousands of film trailers and TV commercials. They compose separately but release their creations together. Typically, their music is orchestral and choral based, but with modern complements and structured similar to pop songs. The stentorian nature of their works has led the frequent use of a contemporary label, "epic music", to define their style.
Invincible is the first public album by the group Two Steps From Hell, released in May 2010. It consists of 22 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. The tracks are a collection of fan favourites from prior demonstration albums previously only available to the industry, "represent[ing] the very best of Thomas and Nick’s first few years at Two Steps From Hell". Two tracks, however, are brand new compositions.
Thomas Jacob Bergersen is a Norwegian composer, multi-instrumentalist, and the co-founder of the production music company Two Steps From Hell. Bergersen's compositions have featured in many motion picture campaigns, such as Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Twilight Saga, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, The Mummy, The Dark Knight, Tron: Legacy and hundreds more. Bergersen has scored over one thousand soundtracks and film trailers.
Nick Phoenix is a British composer, pianist, and co-founder of the production music company Two Steps from Hell. He has written music for a number of trailers, with over 1,200 scores and placements in total.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter is a first-person shooter video game developed by Danger Close Games and published by Electronic Arts. It is a sequel to 2010's series reboot Medal of Honor and the fourteenth installment in the Medal of Honor series. The title was announced on February 23, 2012, and was released in North America on October 23, 2012, in Australia on October 25, 2012, and in Europe on October 26, 2012 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.
Archangel is the second public album by the group Two Steps from Hell, released in September 2011. It consists of 26 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. All the tracks are from prior demonstration albums previously only available to the industry; 14 are from the album, Nero.
Legend is a demonstration album by the music production group Two Steps from Hell, originally released exclusively to clients in the motion picture and advertising industry for the purpose of licensing in May 2008. It consists of three discs: two CDs and a bonus DVD. The former contain a total of 37 principal tracks; 20 on disc one and 17 on disc two. The latter includes a large collection of alternative versions; therefore, in total, Legend consists of 77 tracks. They are predominantly composed by the group's founding members, Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix, as well as some by Troels Folmann. The album was recorded by Capellen Orchestra in Prague, Czech Republic and at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, United States. The cover artwork and the sleeve are designed by Steven R. Gilmore.
Power of Darkness is a demonstration album by the music production group Two Steps from Hell, originally released exclusively to clients in the motion picture and advertising industry for the purpose of licensing in March 2010. It was uniquely distributed on a flash drive, rather than a physical disc. It includes 32 principal tracks, split into two themed volumes. Additionally, it contains a large collection of alternative versions; therefore, in total, Power of Darkness consists of 77 tracks. They are composed by Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. The album was recorded in Prague, Czech Republic, in Los Angeles, and in Utah, United States. The cover artwork and the sleeve are designed by Steven R. Gilmore.
Halloween is the third public album by the group Two Steps from Hell, released in September 2012. The album contains 48 tracks, written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. All the tracks, apart from To Die on Halloween, are from prior demonstration albums previously only available to the industry. This is their first public album to feature tracks with English vocals.
"Heart of Courage" is a song by the American production music company, Two Steps from Hell; it was composed by co-founder Thomas Bergersen. It originates from the "drama"/second disc of their 2008 trailer music demo album, Legend, circulated exclusively within the movie advertising industry for the purpose of licensing. The track was subsequently made available for public purchase on the group's first commercial album, Invincible, released on 3 May 2010.
SkyWorld is the fourth public album by the group Two Steps from Hell, released in October 2012; their third major release following the success of Invincible and Archangel. The album contains 22 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. All tracks, except for "Dark Ages", are brand new original tracks. This is the second of their albums featuring tracks with English lyrics, namely Titan Dream, The End is the Beginning, and Back to the Earth. Recording took place in both Brno, Czech Republic and Los Angeles, United States.
Classics Volume One, also stylised as Classics, Vol. 1, is the fifth public album by the group Two Steps From Hell, released in June 2013. It consists of 23 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. This album is the first of their public albums available in lossless audio. All songs except "Return from Darkness" and "Path to Earth" are from their previous demonstration albums. The album also features an extended version of "Eternal Sorrow" from the Nemesis album, as well as tweaked versions of "Magnan Imus", "White Witch", and "The World Is Mind".
Miracles is the sixth public album by the group Two Steps From Hell, released in June 2014. It consists of 21 tracks written entirely by composer Thomas J. Bergersen. This album predominantly features material selected from earlier demonstration albums, including Dreams & Imaginations, Illumina, Two Steps From Heaven, and Volume One. However the title track, "Compass", and "Stay" are brand new tracks. The previously unreleased tracks "Sun Gazer," "Eyes Closing," "My Freedom," "Perfect Love", and "Wind Queen" appear with various tweaks and embellishments.
This is the discography of Thomas J. Bergersen, a composer whose music has been used in trailers of Hollywood blockbusters such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Interstellar and many others.
Sun is the second studio album by Norwegian composer Thomas Bergersen, of Two Steps from Hell fame. It was released in September 2014. It consists of 16 tracks, featuring vocal performances by Merethe Soltvedt, Molly Conole and The Choir of Sofia, as well as instrumental performances by T-Rex, Chris Bleth and Bergersen himself. The album cover and artwork are also designed by Bergersen himself. The tracks "Empire of Angels," "Final Frontier," and "Starchild" were made available as preview tracks on iTunes prior to the full release.
Battlecry is the seventh studio album by the group Two Steps from Hell, released on 28 April 2015. It consists of 26 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. The album features all-new tracks, except for Amaria from the demonstration album of the same name. It features vocal performances by Merethe Soltvedt, Nick Phoenix and Felicia Farerre.
Vanquish is the ninth studio album by the group Two Steps from Hell, released on 2 December 2016. It consists of 17 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. The album is the first major public release to include no material from industry album releases. It was recorded live by Capellen Orchestra under the supervision of Petr Pololáník, and features vocal performances by Felicia Farerre, Asja Kadric, Jenifer Thigpen, and Linea Adamson.
Unleashed is the tenth studio album by the group Two Steps from Hell, released on 22 September 2017. It consists of 56 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix. The album is the longest released to the public by Two Steps from Hell. It features vocal performances by Merethe Soltvedt, C.C. White, Felicia Farerre, Úyanga Bold, Nick Phoenix and Linea Adamson. The cover artwork and the sleeve are designed by Steven R. Gilmore.
Dragon is the eleventh studio album created by the music production company Two Steps from Hell, released on 18 January 2019. It consists of 19 tracks written by composers Thomas J. Bergersen and Nick Phoenix, and features vocal performances by Merethe Soltvedt, Felicia Farerre and Úyanga Bold. Chris Bleth and Claudio Pietronik are also credited for specific instrumental performances. The cover artwork and the sleeve are designed by Steven R. Gilmore.