Mike Oldfield Collaborator and Conducter Robin Smith Interview

Ahead of the Tubular Bells In Concert live tour hitting the UK this Autumn, Dan Peeke spoke to long-term Mike Oldfield collaborator and arranger and conductor of the show, Robin Smith.

What do you think it is about Tubular Bells that made it the biggest-selling instrumental album of all time?

It’s a unique and extraordinary piece of music that as a composition in the contemporary catalog is quite unsurpassed. To have a work that is 54 minutes long without any pausing, crossing so many genres within that musical journey (rock, classical, minimalism, folk, blues, jazz, and elements of humor) had never been composed before. That’s what makes performing Tubular Bells so remarkable in that you as a musician are taking the audience on the same journey.

Do you remember the first time you heard it?

Yes, I do remember. It was especially important for me as a young music student studying classical. The presence of rock and blues and many other styles had a special resonance as there was nothing like it around. Tubular Bells was such a pivotal composition and it clearly affected the personal lives of so many millions of people, so being part of this reconnection feels like a real privilege.

Aside from the original (and the upcoming tour!), what is the best performance/version of Tubular Bells you’ve ever heard?

The performance that I remember and in many ways visually models our performance was the original BBC performance that Mike premiered back in the 70s when the eight musicians were on stage performing Tubular Bells live. This I have transcended to the performance we now tour and although the style is now updated both musically and sonically the application is still the same: musicians showing their talents by being able to perform this intricate work in front of a live audience. Thus the audience is treated to both the beauty and colours of the original music plus the added thrill of witnessing this performed by such exceptional musicians.

We previously covered the 50th Anniversary shows at the Royal Festival Hall back in 2021. How did you go about blending the music with acrobatics and dance? How did your approach to orchestration change with that in mind?

It didn’t really. My original vision was to be a spectacular ballet where the music and the colors would be enhanced by the visuality of the dancers – a Tubular Bells meets Cirque de Soleil. One day I hope that this can be achieved.

With a small ensemble, the band have to change instruments more often than some bands that have played Tubular Bells. How do you deal with that? Has it ever gone wrong?

We have great guitar techs, so nothing has ever gone wrong with the instrument changes. We have always had the same number of musicians since the start of the anniversary tour. They are all incredibly talented trained musicians and they just don’t make mistakes. The choreography of the instrument changes is always carefully planned for each performance. We are so fortunate to have a collection of remarkable musicians. Each of them has taken their personal role in the show to such high levels of personal craft, testing their own musical abilities night after night. They get such fulfillment in the joy of performing and also the remarkable reaction that we have every performance

Is there anything you’ve changed since the previous shows? Anything you’ve kept exactly the same? Any unexpected challenges?

Nothing has been changed at all since the Royal Festival Hall aside from the focus being purely on the musicianship and the music. We have also enhanced the first half of the show to include more of Mike Oldfield’s compositions.

How do you choose which other pieces are played alongside Tubular Bells? You’re an established composer and arranger in your own right. Are you planning on performing any of your own music on the tour?

In part one we play some of Mike’s music and songs. Alongside that I wrote a piece called ‘The Gem’ in tribute to Mike.

Has Mike Oldfield himself had any input into this particular tour?

No. Mike gave his blessing to my arrangement in 2018 and has previously shown his delight but as he’s retired now he takes no part in it, understandably. The concert is a celebration of Mike. I have had the good fortune of having spent many years working with Mike and witnessing his immeasurable talent and to see the reaction of the audience to the show every night is a testimony to his unique talent.

Our review of Tubular Bells In Concert at Dartford’s Orchard Theatre will be available on All About The Rock at the end of October.

Tubular Bells In Concert UK tour will run throughout October and November, tickets are available at ticketmaster.co.uk.