All his creations by Michael Oldfield are united by the "relax" style. The album "Tubular Bells" and the hit "Moonlight Shadow" brought worldwide fame to the British composer and multi-instrumentalist.
Michael Gordon Oldfield works in almost all styles, from classical to electric music. The author made an enormous contribution to the development of many directions in music, but the most significant are his achievements in the development of progressive rock.
The path to recognition
The biography of the future musician began in 1953. The boy was born in the city of Reading on May 15 in the family of a doctor and a nurse. Music always sounded in the house. Under the influence of the creativity of guitarist Bert Windon, Michael began to play the guitar.
His career began at the age of 13. Oldfield composed music, played in local clubs. Together with his older sister Sally, he created The Sallyangie. In 1969, the singers' album Children of the Sun was released. The new band "Barefoot" was created by Michael and his brother Terry.
In 1970 began work in the "Whole World" team. Then the idea of creating "Tubular Bells" appeared. Released on May 25, 1973, the hit became the most famous work of the musician. The author played 20 or more instruments, used a multi-layer recording. The title track is recognized as the forerunner of the New Age. For a week, the novelty has become "number one".
The compilations Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn were called innovative by critics. In 1975 the musician received a Grammy.
Sally Oldfield performed vocals for the album "Incantations". The theme, written in 1979 by the composer, was used in the documentary The Space Movie, dedicated to the tenth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.
Triumph
With the advent of the eighties, the author changed the direction of creativity. He wrote instrumental compositions, traditional singles and covers of famous works. The song "Moonlight Shadow" brought incredible popularity to the author and singer Maggie Reilly in 1983. The soundtrack to the motion picture "The Killing Fields" was created in the same period. The disc "Earth Moving", presented in June 1989, consisted only of rock-pop compositions. The author first soloed in the collection "Amarok".
The musician did not stop experimenting with styles. The listeners noted the softness of the new-age sound in the new album "The Songs of Distant Earth". In 1992 the song "The Song Of The Sun" was written for the compilation "Voyager".
In the MusicVR project, the composer has combined virtual reality and music with a computer game. The first experience was Tr3s Lunas, released in 2002. The work was released on a double CD. The release of "Tubular Bells 2003" presented fans with a successful disc, free from the imperfections of the technologies of the seventies. Music used in the game "Maestro".
Music and family
In 2007 Oldfield published his autobiography "Changeling", and in March of the following year he presented the classic album "Music of the Spheres". Best Classic Compilation was nominated for the Classical Brit Award. In 2012, the composer performed at the opening of the London Olympic Games. At the end of January 2017, fans received a novelty, the collection "Return to Ommadawn".
The musician's personal life is also rich in events. The first marriage did not last long. Virgin spokeswoman Sally Cooper became the new darling. The union had three children, sons Luke and Dhugal and daughter Sally. The couple separated in 1986.
Anita Hegerland became the mother of Greta Marie and Noah Daniel. In 2003, Oldfield married Fanny Vandekerkhov. The sons Eugene and Jake appeared. The couple broke up in 2013.
The "Wizard of a Thousand Overlays" believes that inspiration most often comes to him while riding motorcycles. The musician is also fond of aircraft modeling, airplanes and cars.
