| Valley in the Clouds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Recorded | July–December 1986 | |||
| Genre | New age | |||
| Length | 40:46 | |||
| Label | Narada | |||
| Producer | Eric Lindert and David Arkenstone | |||
| David Arkenstone chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [1] |
Valley in the Clouds is the debut album by David Arkenstone, released in 1987. Much of his trademark compositional style is already evident.
David Arkenstone is an American composer and performer. His music is primarily instrumental, with occasional vocalizations. Most of Arkenstone's music falls into new age category; however, he also worked in other genres, including even a heavy metal soundtrack for Emperor: Battle for Dune video game. His music has been described as 'soundtracks for the imagination'. Throughout his career, Arkenstone released over 50 albums and composed music for video games, including World of Warcraft, and for television, including NBC's Kentucky Derby. Arkenstone has been nominated for Grammy Awards five times.
Thorin Oakenshield is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit. Thorin is the leader of the Company of Dwarves who aim to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug the dragon. He is the son of Thráin II, grandson of Thrór, and becomes King of Durin's Folk during their exile from Erebor. Thorin's background is further elaborated in Appendix A of Tolkien's 1955 novel The Return of the King, and in Unfinished Tales.
Another Star in the Sky is an album released by David Arkenstone. It was released in 1994 on the Narada label. It was a groundbreaking album because up until this point, a lot of new age music didn't have lyrics or even vocals. David was able to create an album that successfully combined the style of new age music with lyrics to match. The CD release was also one of the first CD Album releases to be mixed for Dolby ProLogic surround sound.
Citizen of Time is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 1990. The liner notes contain a short story about a character called The Citizen of Time. Each track relates to a part of his travels.
Quest of the Dream Warrior is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 1995. It is the second album in a trilogy that begins with In the Wake of the Wind and concludes with Return of the Guardians. The album is based on a fantasy story by Arkenstone and Mercedes Lackey that appears in the booklet. The album also comes with a fold-out map of the world in which the story is set. Three tracks contain vocals by Arkenstone: "Prelude: Tallis the Messenger", "The Voice" and "Road to the Sea". As with many David Arkenstone albums, the music often has an epic, cinematic feel and blends new age, rock and world music elements.
Return of the Guardians is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 1996. It is the final album in a trilogy that includes In the Wake of the Wind and Quest of the Dream Warrior. The album is based on a fantasy story by Arkenstone and Mercedes Lackey that appears in the booklet. It revolves around the characters of Andolin from In the Wake of the Wind and Kyla from Quest of the Dream Warrior. The album also comes with a fold-out map of the world in which the story is set. Of note is the prominent violin in several tracks. Unlike the previous album in the series, there are no songs sung by Arkenstone.
Island is an instrumental album by David Arkenstone with Andrew White, released in 1989. It is a departure from Arkenstone's mostly electronic debut album Valley in the Clouds.
In the Wake of the Wind is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 1991. It is the first album in a trilogy that includes Quest of the Dream Warrior and Return of the Guardians. The music is based on a fantasy story contained in the booklet that tells of a strange wind called The Lion's Breath and a young man named Andolin who desires to vanquish it. This album contains some of Arkenstone's most evocative, varied, and sweeping compositions and arrangements, with frequent use of orchestral instruments. It reached #1 on the Billboard New Age chart and received a Grammy nomination. The track "Morning Sun on the Sails" is dedicated to Aaron Copland. Its first track, "Papillon ", plays once every twenty minutes in the loop of songs played at Innoventions Plaza at Walt Disney World's Epcot. The Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, from Toledo, Ohio performed arrangements of "Overture", "Morning Sun on the Sails", "The Lion's Breath", and "Sailing" as part of their 1993 field show for Drum Corps International, entitled, "A Voyage Through Imagination".
The Spirit of Olympia is an album by David Arkenstone and Kostia, with David Lanz, released in 1992. It is a celebration of the Olympic games and incorporates several musical styles from around the world.
Spirit Wind is an album by multi-instrumentalist David Arkenstone, released in 1997. Most of the music was written for a film called Legend of the Spirit Dog. A Native American feel is present on several tracks.
Music Inspired by Middle Earth is an album featuring David Arkenstone, released in 2001. The music is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. Even though it was released the same year as The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, it was not inspired by nor related to the film.
The Celtic Book of Days is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 1998. It is the first of two Celtic albums by Arkenstone, the other being Spirit of Ireland.
Convergence is an album by David Arkenstone and David Lanz, released in 1996. It is a compilation of tracks from Narada releases such as A Childhood Remembered and The Narada Wilderness Collection.
Chronicles, released in 1993, is the first of David Arkenstone's several compilation albums.
Sketches from an American Journey is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 2002. It is inspired by the natural landscapes of the United States. There is far less focus on synthesizers than on most other Arkenstone releases. Piano and an orchestra are featured prominently throughout the album.
Diane Arkenstone is a multi-genre musician.
Caravan of Light is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 2000, on African themes and subjects, with some farther travels along the great caravan roads of the Old World. Once again Arkenstone combines elements of new age and world music with an orchestral, cinematic flair. It has an unusual number of tracks with vocals for his work.
Citizen of the World is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 1999. It is the first in which he purposely makes a tour of world music forms, mixing them with jazz, rock, and New Age elements.
The Spirit of Ireland is an album by David Arkenstone, released in 2003. It is the second of two Celtic albums by Arkenstone, the other being The Celtic Book of Days. It was recorded at The Bamboo Room, Westlake Village, California.
The discography of David Arkenstone consists of nearly 80 studio albums, six collaboration albums, seven compilation albums, one live album, and seventeen soundtracks/video game scores. The Arkenstone collaboration albums include five albums with his trio, Troika and one album with Nicholas Gunn as Briza Additionally, he has composed a number of songs for the video game World of Warcraft.
