David Gilmour's first ever solo live album arrives - Live In Gdansk - arrives on 15 September will feature Pink Floyd songs never previously performed with an orchestra.
The concert took place in front of 50,000 in the Gdansk shipyards in Poland and marked Gilmour's final performance on his On An Island tour as well as the 26th anniversary of the founding of Polish trade union Solidarity.
“This was the first time I have played in Poland and it was a thrill to be there helping to mark one of the most important anniversaries in recent European history," says Gilmour. "The Gdansk shipyard is a deeply symbolic place and it was an honour to perform our music there. It was particularly exciting to have my friend Zbigniew Preisner there conducting the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra and to be able to perform my album for the first time as it was intended.”
Gilmour's six piece band (Richard Wright - keyboards, Phil Manzanera - guitarist, Guy Pratt - bass, Jon Carin - keyboards, Steve Di Stanislao - drums, Dick Parry - saxophone) were accompanied by the 40-strong string section of the Polish Baltic Philharmonic conducted by Zbigniew Preisner, orchestral arranger on David Gilmour´s number 1 album, ‘On An Island´. It is the first ever live recording with an orchestra of Pink Floyd´s High Hopes and A Great Day For Freedom.
There is a two and a half hour DVD which accompanies the live album is directed by Gavin Elder. As well as 113 minutes of concert footage, the DVD includes a36-minute documentary which includes Gilmour´s private meeting with former Polish President Lech Walesa, chats with the band and crew, concert rehearsals and a moving wreath-laying with Walesa at the Memorial to the shipyard workers killed in the 1970 uprising.
CD 1 tracklisting:
Speak To Me
Breathe
Time
Breathe (reprise)
Castellorizon
On An Island
The Blue
Red Sky At Night
This Heaven
Then I Close My Eyes
Smile
Take A Breath
A Pocketful Of Stones
Where We Start
CD 2:
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
Astronomy Domine
Fat Old Sun
High Hopes
Echoes
Wish You Were Here
A Great Day For Freedom
Comfortably Numb
The DVD will feature the following songs from the concert:
Castellorizon
On An Island
The Blue
Red Sky At Night
This Heaven
Then I Close My Eyes
Smile
Take A Breath
A Pocketful of Stones
Where We Start
Astronomy Domine
High Hopes
Echoes
A Great day For Freedom
Comfortably Numb
David Gilmour Live In Gdansk will be available in the following formats:
1) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk - 3 Disc set and 12-page booklet, features:
Disc 1 - Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 - Concert Audio CD
Disc 3 - Concert DVD and Gdansk Diary documentary
2) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk - 2 Disc audio only and 12-page booklet, features:
*Disc 1 - Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 - Concert Audio CD
3) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk - 4 Disc set and 12-page booklet, features:
*Disc 1 - Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 - Concert Audio CD
Disc 3 - Concert DVD and Gdansk Diary
Disc 4 - Extras DVD including three previously unreleased ‘Barn Jams´
and 5.1 audio version of ‘On An Island´
4) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk - 5 Disc Deluxe Box set and 24-page booklet with collectable* *memorabilia items, features:
*Disc 1 - Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 - Concert Audio CD
Disc 3 - Concert DVD and Gdansk Diary
Disc 4 - Extras DVD including three previously unreleased ‘Barn Jams´
and 5.1 audio version of ‘On An Island´
Disc 5 - CD Bonus tracks (live from the 2006 Summer tour).
5) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk (Vinyl) - 5 x LP Box Set and 20-page booklet, plus web-pass to* *download the album, features:
The full Live From Gdansk concert including ‘Wot´s… Uh The Deal?´, plus extra audio tracks that include two of the private recording sessions known as the ‘Barn Jams´.
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