CAPA to Present Tubular Bells 'for Two' at the Lincoln Theatre

When 19-year-old English musician Mike Oldfield released his debut album, Tubular Bells, in 1973, it required more than 30 musicians to perform the masterpiece. Now 40 years later, Tubular Bells 'for Two' recreates the album live on stage with just two massively talented musicians-Daniel Holdsworth and Aidan Roberts-in a unique and compelling theatrical experience.

CAPA presents Tubular Bells 'for Two' at the Lincoln Theatre (769 E. Long St.) on Sunday, January 18, at 8 pm. Tickets are $20 and $30 at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.

Following sell-out seasons at the Sydney Fringe Festival, the New Zealand International Arts Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Tubular Bells 'for Two' captures the soul and emotional journey of Oldfield's remarkable folk-rock epic rather than simply mimicking his multi-tracked arrangements.

Among the vast collection of instruments on stage are keyboards, umpteen guitars, bass, mandolin, glockenspiel, loop pedals, and of course, tubular bells. In order to recreate the seamless transitions, Holdsworth and Roberts leap between guitars, pianos, and drums (sometimes all three at once), recording and overdubbing loops live on the spot.

Tubular Bells' for Two' started as an idea conjured up over a bottle of wine by the two old school friends. After arranging the music by ear on acoustic guitars, friends began to add more instruments, rubbish skips, etc., and the show was created. Their first set of tubular bells were fashioned from fence posts.

Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells was released on May 25, 1973, by newly formed Virgin Records. Despite many in the music industry considering the work "unmarketable," the album reached No.1 in charts around the world, selling in excess of 15 million copies. Much of its early success lay in the support of BBC Radio DJ John Peel who played the album in its entirety on Radio 1, saying, "It's called Tubular Bells. I've never heard anything like it in my life."

Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, coaxed Mike Oldfield into premiering his work at a live performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall on June 25, 1973, by handing over his Bentley luxury automobile. The music was also famously used for the soundtrack for the horror movie The Exorcist, and is now enjoying a revival kick-started by its use in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London.