Bach St. Matthew Passion, Metal Version, ’Erbarme Dich’ Instrumental Version by Sinfonicca .

IMAGINE A HEAVY ROCK BAND TAKING OVER THE LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS! Yes, we know, every rock band says ‘Here is the greatest music of all time.’ ... this really is the greatest music of all time! The initial driving force behind Sinfӧnicca was the lifelong ambition of film and music producer and arranger Bob Carruthers to produce progressive rock/power metal variations on the works of the great composers. By combining the timeless creations of the great composers with rock instrumentation, vocals and lyrics inspired by the great writers , Bob’s vision was to reach far beyond merely arranging the music of the maestros. His unique concept was to add to the mix , the eerie and ethereal quality of Gregorian chant and medieval plainsong. The result is a powerful celebration of three complimentary genres of music which combine to transport the listener to an altogether different place which evokes a powerful sense of mystic otherworldliness and gothic splendour. The result is Sinfӧnicca, a neo-classical symphonic rock project under the musical direction of Bob Carruthers on keyboards, synthesiser and occasional bagpipes. The Sinfӧnicca recordings are collaborative efforts which often combine the power of a hard rock band with the London Symphonia conducted by James Gambold. Sinfӧnicca today features the amazing talents of Jonny Smale on guitar, Roz Smith on vocals augmented by additional orchestral percussion, keyboards, woodwind and the amazing virtuoso talent Ben Payen and Nina Heidenreich on viola and violin. Judging from the warmth of feedback from our listeners out there Sinfӧnicca has somehow struck a chord with classic rock music lovers who also embrace the works of the great composers. The Sinfӧnicca concept was road tested in 2021 with the release of the album Empress of the Grave’ which took a power metal approach to the works of Bach, Holst, Vivaldi , Berlioz ,and Tchaikovsky with lyrics drawn from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Empress of the Grave’ is a powerful suite of songs which drew on elements from Mars the Bringer of War by Holst, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and Bach’s famous Toccata and Fugue. Ben Darlow, who produced the Sinfӧnicca debut album ‘Empress of the Grave’, was for many years Mike Oldfield’s Engineer and collaborator. Ben has also has worked on albums by Rush ( check out ‘Roll The Bones’ ) and just about everyone else that matters. As Ben recalls. ‘ My job on ‘Empress of the Grave’ was really easy. Roz Smith is without doubt the best female singer/songwriter I have ever worked with. Jonny is a world class guitarist and writer. Together they make the most amazing creative team. The results are pure gold.’ Bob Carruthers soon began begin work on the next project the second Sinfӧnicca album, an instrumental outing entitled ‘Hall of The Mountain King’. With all three key musical elements now in place this was the album where Sinfӧnicca really hit its stride. Bob takes up the story. ’ I knew instantly that the tracks on the first album were so strong they would lend themselves to an instrumental approach featuring the introduction of the London Symphonia orchestra and the haunting gothic moods of Gregorian choir. As Sinfӧnicca evolved it was clear that there were also masterpieces of the classic rock world which were crying out for the Sinfӧnicca approach. The first album to emerge from the music of the contemporary world was a powerful suite of variations on the music of Led Zeppelin for group and orchestra entitled ‘Hammer of the Gods’. We beg you to find the time to enjoy ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’ featuring a bravura vocal performance by Roz Smith combined with breath-taking viola by Ben Payen. Recently Sinfӧnicca has produced a number of benefit recordings for Ukraine to help the innocent victims of Putin’s war. These passionate recordings feature the Volya Choir and the vocal talents of Irenya and Maria Voyt can be found on the fourth Sinfӧnicca album; ‘Give Peace A Chance! ’ Currently in production is the fifth Sinfӧnicca album , a suite of variations on the music of Uriah Heep entitled ‘July Morning’. Bob Carruthers - Keyboards and Synthesizer Jonny Smale - Guitar Nina Heidenreich - Violin Rene Shades - Recording engineer for Violin, Soundscape design, Edits & Mastering. Emma Bernbach - First Witch James Gambold - The London Symphonia conductor Roz Smith - Heavenly vocals Trevelyan Harper - Drums Iron Tyger - Rock Band Performance Ben Darlow - Rock Band Production, Engineering & Mix Bobby Ball - Percussion Video editing by Dann T. Cardona Video Footage By Adam Woods Special Thanks to Frederik Thomander, Palma Music Studios © Bob Carruthers 2022