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Alan writes.....Back in 1981 I was commissioned by Yorkshire Television to write the music for a new Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World series. This was followed some years later by the Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe series. The subject matter of each episode never failed to excite me: Crop Circles, Easter Island, Nasca Desert and so on.

I enjoyed in particular anything to do with the Cosmos, alien life and extra-terrestrial heavenly bodies. Time and space, the Big Bang, dark matter and other theories fascinated me, especially the notion of possible life on other earth-like planets. Yet scientists and physicists offered various conflicting views based on studies and information available at that time, among them Professor Stephen Hawking, who seemed to make more sense than most of the others.

 Now, well into the 2Ist Century, the universal landscape has changed dramatically as more and more data becomes available from the various space telescopes roaming around our solar system. Estimates of the number of stars in the known universe have risen by one third, a colossal miscalculation by earlier theorists. Hawking seems to imply that there is, or soon will be, an explanation for everything and that it all came about without the help of any divine creator. As the debate continues, I can't help but recall a line of scripture that stated: And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose: and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

More and more scientists, cosmologists and physicists are adopting the view that it is easier to argue for billions of other earth-like worlds than it is for just the one we now reside on. Either way, to offer a musical token that conjures up the search for alien life and space travel is irresistible. My album Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe offered a synthesised score of the series' subject matter. Later came the Orchestral Encounters CD - paying tribute to the astronauts and cosmonauts who are the Sir Walter Raleighs and Magellans of this day and age.

Now comes Phantasia, an orchestral/synthesised collection that I hope captures the sheer beauty of our re-mapped universe, both visual and notional.

 Alan Hawkshaw

Sound Engineer: Dick Plant

The London Session Orchestra Strings

Arranged, written and produced by Alan Hawkshaw 

Design and Art Direction by Phil Giggle®Cidezign:01

 PHANTASIA  

01 Galactic Dawn

02 Northern Lights

03 Cloud Chaser

04 Flamingo

05 Stellar Symphony .

06 Martian Landscape

07 Enraptured

08 Firefly

09 Stardust

10 Earthrise

11 Enchantment

12 Unfolding Mystery

13 Dragonfly

14 Orbiter

15 Flight

16 Infinity

17 Mission Accomplished  

18 Journeys End