Reviews:

From Brainwashed: (by Simon Marshall-Jones)

  It’s hard to believe maybe, but Cornelius Waldner of Sagittarius started out his musical career playing in a black metal band, Hailstorm. Like many in that genre, he has felt the need to explore other avenues of musical expression and Sagittarius is one such exploration. Songs from the Ivory Tower is essentially the first proper release on a big label from him, delivering fifteen songs showcasing his quietly melancholic, small-scale songs and neo-classical instrumentals.

  Songs from the Ivory Tower is an entirely appropriate title for this disc. It is an extremely introspective and reflective album, portraying a distinctly solipsistic ‘ivory tower’ insularity and isolationist vibe. Above all, this broadcasts a feeling that the artist has secreted himself away from the prying eyes of the corrupt modern world for a very long time, and has developed some circular mental pre-occupations as a consequence. Despite that and the closed-in feeling of the songs, it nevertheless possesses an icy beauty along with a sense of mystical detachment and nostalgia.
  
  Piano, acoustic guitar, and strings form the main musical accompaniment, along with the occasional bit of flute. The songs, which are based on the work of the poets Stefan George, Bernhard von Uxkull-Gyllenband, Gottfried Benn, Ludwig Uhland, and Timo Kölling, are slow sorrowful reflections, akin to looking into a still black pool of water, and are sung in a mixture of English and German. As can sometimes happen in real-life, the thoughts expressed here, born in isolation, have closed in on themselves. I often felt a sense of tight claustrophobia creeping in, and significantly, the repetitive nature of some of the instrumental lines, rather than detracting (or being distracting), further enhance the feeling. Additionally, it underlines the circularity and restricted orbits of the songs.

  The production is excellent, investing the songs with lushness while at the same time keeping the sparseness very much to the fore. Songs such as the plaintive piano and guitar opener “Nihil Arisen,” the simple musical scaffolding emphasising the philosophical despair in Waldner’s voice, definitely benefit from the Spartan approach. The same can be said for the short “Der sommer, den die erntezeit gekrönt,” lone piano chasing Waldner’s German-sung paean. The anger is barely contained, bubbling broodingly just below the surface. The simplicity underlines that emotion far more effectively than any amount of bombast could. Moreover, the whole album is heavily informed with that species of dark and heavily brooding emotion, hanging over it like thick black thunder- and rain-laden clouds.

  Meanwhile, the instrumentals display a broad Germanic classical influence, especially in “Menuet von Johann Krieger (für H.E.R.R),” a piece which wears its 18th century chamber music stylings proudly. The ensuing track, “Cupio Dissolvi,” is a stately waltz of neo-classicism, sweeping and swirling around a be-columned ballroom. Perhaps this classicism is yet another expression of the hermit-like mind, a yearning for things past simply because they are somehow deemed to be better. Concomitantly I felt a strong infusion of nostalgia pervading this album, lending a distant and lost loneliness entirely befitting the delivery and style of the music.

  I have a love/hate relationship with the neofolk/neoclassical genre, however this example shines through on many levels. While it is very introspective and very inward-looking, there are enough chinks in it that allow for more than a glimpse of the nostalgic world that Waldner inhabits. Make no mistake about this, there is a sepia-tinted nostalgia present here. The instrumentals reminded me somewhat of Bad Neuschwanstein in Bavaria for example, the fantasy castle of the Dream King, Ludwid König, with its hint of an aristocracy on the way down. However, even without the instrumentals, there is still a sense of years past, that somehow the modern day has lost its direction. It’s an emotion that many in these troubled times can identify with.

From Alternativmusik: (by Marius)

  Würde man jetzt das Haar in der Suppe suchen, dann könnte man behaupten: Das hat aber ganz schön lange gedauert. Aber da gut Ding ja bekanntlich gerne mal Weile hat und der im Zusammenhang mit Rezensionen mehr als überstrapazierte Wein ja auch mit der Zeit reift, freuen wir uns an dieser Stelle lieber darüber: Endlich ist es da, das lang erwartete Album Songs From The Ivory Tower von Sagittarius, dem Projekt um Cornelius Waldner. Nach einigen Umbesetzungen erschien das Album zwar einerseits dann doch als Solo-Projekt, andererseits trifft diese Bezeichung auch nicht ganz zu, da sich eine ganze Reihe von Gastmusikern auf dem Album finden lässt.

  Wie von Sagittarius gewohnt, ist das tragende Instrument hier das Klavier. Dies darf in keinem Stück fehlen und stellt die Hauptsäule dar. Dabei bemerkt man – wie schon von vorherigen Sagittarius-Veröffentlichungen gewöhnt – schnell: Dies beherrscht er virtuos. Dramatisch, gefühlvoll und Spannungsbögen aufbauend wird es gespielt und weiß den Hörer eindeutig zu berühren. Ob man das dann am Ende Klassik, Neoklassik oder anders nennt, ist dabei Nebensache – Fakt ist: Es berührt! Zwar wirkt die Musik auf der einen Seite traurig, auf der anderen Seite aber ist sie fern davon, verzweifelt, pessimistisch oder sogar depressiv zu klingen: Immer wieder merkt man, dass auch hoffnungsvolle Töne dabei mitschwingen.

  Der Gesang fügt sich dabei nahtlos ins Gesamtbild ein – wobei hier ein Blick auf die Texte lohnenswert ist. Wie oft bei Sagittarius: Stefan George wird in Das Lied vertont, aber auch andere Namen fallen auf. So singt beispielsweise Troy Southgate Der gute Kamerad von Ludwig Uhland. Neben eigenen Texten Waldners werden zusätzlich auch Texte von Timo Kölling und Bernhard von Uxkull vertont. Und wo mit Troy Southgate bereits ein Gast genannt wurde: Daneben finden sich beispielsweise auch Herr Twiggs von Kammer Sieben (Stimme bei An des Meeres Strand), Marcel P. (unter anderem das Cello bei Du stehst am alten Gartentor und schweigst) und Philipp Jonas von Secrets of the Moon (Gitarre bei Nihil Arisen) auf dem Album.

  Trotz aller Gäste und der Verschiedenheit der Texte: An keiner Stelle geht der rote Faden auf diesem Album verloren. Die vor allem vom Klavier getragenen Kompositionen, gelegentlich von anderen Instrumenten wie Cello, Gitarre oder Flöte ergänzt, wissen zu berühren und zu gefallen. Es ist doch schön, wenn Warten sich auch mal auszahlt. Hört man das Album, dann ist im Grunde schnell vergessen, wie lange es „in der Mache“ war. In diesem Sinne: Hut ab!

From Legacy: (by Richard Klasen)

  Seit der letzten regulären SAGITTARIUS - Langrille "Die große Marina" sind auch schon wieder fünf Jahre ins Land gezogen. Zwar wurde diese Wartezeit immer wieder mit kleineren Tonträgern aufgelockert, so richtig das Wasser reichen konnten diese ihrem Vorgänger indes nicht. "Songs From The Ivory Tower" kommt da gerade richtig und verspricht Abhilfe. Musikalisch besinnt sich der kreative und nicht unumstrittene Kopf hinter SAGITTARIUS, Cornelius Waldner, erneut auf seine alten Stärken, nähert sich aber gleichsam einem seiner Haupteinflüsse, dem Current 93-Meisterwerk "Soft Black Stars" an. Die Klaviatur der Fusion sanfter Pianoklänge mit introvertiert und rezitativ vorgetragenen Gedichten gelingt hervorragend und umschifft weiträumig die Gefahr kitschiger (Marmor-) Klippen. Greift Waldner anfangs noch selbst zum Mikro, übergibt er dieses später an Gäste wie Damiano Mercuri, H.E.R.R.-Sänger Troy Southgate oder den ungewohnt unsicheren ('An des Meeres Strand') Kammer Sieben - Vokalisten Herrn Twiggs. Merkwürdig, denn Waldners Stimme ist definitiv stark genug, um auch ohne Promi-Unterstützung bestehen zu können, zumal er sich selbst mit Musikern aus dem weiteren Von Thronstahl-Umfeld mit Sicherheit keinen Gefallen tut, was auch für die Forthcoming Fire-Coverversion 'Europa Calling' zutrift. Vertont werden daneben Gedichte von Stefan George, Gottfried Benn, Bernhard Victor Graf Uxkull-Gyllenband, Ludwig Uhland und Timo Kölling. An der Akustikgitarre in 'Nihil Arisen' hilft in bewährter Tradition Philipp Jonas (Secrets Of The Moon). Unterm Strich eine mehr als lohnenswerte Anschaffung für Freunde neoklassischer und neofolkloristischer Musik.

From The Shadows Commence:

  I thought this was the debut album from SAGITTARIUS, but after some research I found out that Cornelius Waldner actually did release a limited vinyl some years ago, so this should be the second one. And yes, Cornelius Waldner is the master brain behind SAGITTARIUS, this wonderful neoclassical project I recently discovered. ”Songs from the Ivory Tower” is a 15 track long trip through some of the darkest, yet most gentle piano compositions since ELIJAH’S MANTLE & OZYMANDIAS released their ”The Soul of Romanticism” album all those years ago. Further parallels can be drawn as well; most of the lyrics here on ”Song from the Ivory Tower” are, like all in the other mentioned work, adapted poems by great writers from throughout the history. The first song, though, is written by Cornelius and ”Europa Calling” is of course a cover of the magnificent flag-ship by FORTHCOMING FIRE, later made famous in these circles by VON THRONSTAHL.

  So, I mentioned that the main instrument of choice for Cornelius is the piano, but he also sings and plays flute, and has invited several friends (Marcel P. from aforementioned VON THRONSTAHL, Damiano Mercuri - ROSE ROVINE E AMANTI, Herr Twiggs - KAMMER SIEBEN, SEELENLICHT, Troy Southgate also from SEELENLICHT but most notably HERR and a somebody called Philip Jonas) to play cello and acoustic guitar. These are also providing some vocals in some tracks.

  We are immediately thrown straight into one of the best songs, ”Nihil Arisen”, with a rather simple piano melody and Cornelius distinctive vocals, there are also some guitar-work in between the verses. But really, it’s hard to point out the highlights on this disc since it has a very even level from start to end... Of course, ”Europa Calling” is always delighting to hear in every version, so also here. Another really touching one is ”The Song” or ”Das Lied”, (different versions of the same song, the English version has vocals by Troy Southgate, the German by Marcel P.) a rather folky song, with a really enchanting flute melody over the piano plings. It’s also great fun to sing along to, and for those who would like to give it a try, the booklet holds all the lyrics.

  By the way, speaking of folk songs, the one that follows after ”Das Lied” is another very strong and rather uplifting one.

  Negative sides are a few. Cornelius has a fine voice really, but sounds a bit insecure sometimes, especially in the English tracks, but this is of course not a big deal at all and I’m not even sure if that affects the over-all score; this is a well-deserved high pointer, with very gentle instrumentation and great poems that can really tingle your intellect. Splendid, classy, wise and noble neo-classical, for the ivory tower climbers.

From Judas Kiss: (by Simon Collins)

  Songs From The Ivory Tower - has any album title ever more succinctly summed up the elitist and idealist aspirations of neo-folk and martial industrial music? Sagittarius is the solo project of German musician Cornelius Waldner, and Songs From The Ivory Tower is the band‚s second album following 2003‚s Die Große Marina, released as a limited edition vinyl LP by Renovation Verlag, and still available as a free download from the Sagittarius website and from Neo-Form magazine (www.neo-form.de). For the recording of Songs..., Cornelius Waldner has assembled a formidable array of guest musicians, including Marcel P. of Von Thronstahl, Halgadom etc., Herr Twiggs of Kammer Sieben, Damiano Mercuri of Rose Rovine E Amanti, Troy Southgate of H.E.R.R. and Seelenlicht, and Philipp Jonas of Secrets Of The Moon.
 
  Songs... opens with a song in English, 'Nihil Arisen'. Cornelius Waldner's wistful piano finds an apt counterfoil in Philipp Jonas‚ guitar, as Waldner intones the mournful lyrics in a clear, simple spoken recitative. The general effect is similar to Golgatha or some of Karsten Hamre's (Penitent, Arcane Art) work. However, the song is marred by the words simply not fitting the rhythm of the music, which is a shame. Fortunately, nearly all of the album‚s remaining tracks are either instrumentals or in German, so this problem doesn‚t arise again. The following four songs form a sort of suite, all being based on poems by Timo Kölling, the former editor of the German black metal magazine Moondance and a member of Trist. All the lyrics are given in the album booklet, but without English translations, so you‚re on your own there. Musically, the songs are dominated by neo-classical piano work. Marcel P. contributes cello to 'Du Stehst Am Alten Gartentor Und Schweigst' and 'An Des Meeres Strand' and 'An Des Meeres Strand' features vocals by Herr Twiggs, who arguably has a deeper, richer voice than Waldner.

   Later songs feature lyrics by other German poets, including Stefan George, Bernhard von Uxkull-Gyllenband, Gottfried Benn and Ludwig Uhland. Of these, the most famous is undoubtedly Stefan George, whose 'Das Lied' is the seventh track on Songs..., with the vocals being handled by Marcel P. Cornelius Waldner contributes piano and flute, at least according to the album notes, but this doesn't sound like a concert flute to me, more like a wooden flute or recorder.

  The following song, 'Der Gute Kamerad' has vocals by Troy Southgate. Now, those who have read my previous reviews of H.E.R.R. and Seelenlicht will know that I'm not the most ardent admirer of Troy Southgate's vocal stylings, but here, he‚'s not half bad. In fact, I'll go so far as to say that this is the most enjoyable work I've heard so far from him - his voice suits the material, it melds well with Damiano Mercurio's acoustic guitar, and overall it sounds quite a bit like Ian Read of Fire + Ice. A stately, formalist minuet by Johann Krieger follows, also with Damiano Mercurio on guitar and more of that mysterious flute.
 
  The thirteenth song is 'Europa Calling', a cover version of the song originally recorded by Forthcoming Fire, but made famous by the several different renditions of it released by Josef K.'s subsequent band, Von Thronstahl. This song has become something of a neo-folk anthem, a rallying cry for the Children of the Black Sun to rival Death In June's "Runes And Men", and Sagittarius fully do it justice:

Don't you hear Europa calling
For him who leads the children home...

   (This song, incidentally, is not to be confused with the Sol Invictus song of the same name, which is also very fine, but is entirely unrelated.)

  The album concludes with a bonus track, 'The Song', an English rendition of 'Das Lied', with Troy Southgate again handling the vocals, and again sounding good. Apart from my reservations about the opening track‚s clunky lyrics, Songs From The Ivory Tower is an effortlessly pleasant listen, with many talented musicians playing real instruments, strong lyrics and beautiful neo-classical arrangements. Praise and plaudits to all involved - this is another quality release from Cold Spring fit to stand beside Von Thronstahl, Rose Rovine E Amanti and Werkraum at the more melodic end of the Cold Spring roster.