Tuomas Holopainen - Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge

Been wondering what this will sound like.

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Tuomas Holopainen — the keyboardist and main songwriter of NIGHTWISH — has spent most of 2013 writing and producing his solo album based on a graphic novel called "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck", written and illustrated by Don Rosa.

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" is scheduled for a release this spring via Nuclear Blast.

Holopainen comments: "This is my longtime dream come true, 14 years in the making. And a homage to one of the best storytellers of our time.

"Thank you for sharing this celebration of life and adventure!"

This 12-chapter book tells the life story of Scrooge, from his early years in the 19th century Scotland to his adventures all around the world until the 1950s. The story contains such immense depth, detail, wit and emotional power that the moment Tuomas read it nearly 20 years ago, it instantly became a story of profound personal interest and love for him. The initial spark of "coloring" this story with music, i.e. creating a kind of "soundtrack" for the book, came to him already in 1999, and has ever since haunted the back of his mind.

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" contains 10 songs, with total duration of approximately 60 minutes. The music is said to be in the soundtrack / classical / folk genre in the vein of Vaughan Williams, Michael Nyman, James Newton Howard and Enya.

Pip Williams did the orchestral arrangements for the "Life And Times Of Scrooge" disc, continuing his collaboration with Tuomas after the NIGHTWISH records "Once", "Dark Passion Play" and "Imaginaerum".

There are a number of guest musicians appearing on "Life And Times Of Scrooge", including the London Orchestra, The Metro Voices (a choir from London) and four lead vocalists: Alan Reid, Johanna Kurkela, Johanna Iivanainen and Tony Kakko. Other guest appearances include Troy Donockley (uilleann pipes, low whistles, bodhran), Mikko Iivanainen (guitars and banjo), Teho Majamäki (didgeridoo), Jon Burr (harmonica) and Dermot Crehan on the solo violin.

The recordings took place during August - October 2013, first at Angel Studios in London, then in various locations around Scotland and Finland.

The author of the book, Don Rosa, did the artwork for the album.

There will be a single release, for the track "A Lifetime Of Adventure", and a music video to go with it.

Holopainen recently spoke to Finland's YLE about "Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen". Check out the report below.

Tuomas previously stated about how the idea for the project came about: "It was back in 1999, during the 'Oceanborn' tour, that I remember first having the idea of writing a 'soundtrack' to my all-time favorite piece of Disney comic, 'The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck', by Don Rosa, the apparent heir of the almighty Carl Barks. This book has had such an overwhelming effect on me throughout these years, and finally I have the means and the time to make that dream a reality.

"It all started with a story called 'Last Sled To Dawson', which was published in a Finnish Donald Duck magazine in the late '80s. It instantly became one of my favorite Scrooge/Donald stories and also introduced Mr. Don Rosa to my Disney universe. This story is not part of the actual 'Life And Times' opus, though, but 'a companion story,' set in between the chapters #8 and #9. Then when the massive 12-chapter piece was released in mid-'90s, I was completely and utterly hooked. It was similar to reading 'The Lord Of The Rings' as an 8-year-old, or seeing 'Raiders Of The Lost Ark' for the first time. Adventure, fun and the strangely familiar feeling of home.

"With Scrooge, there was also a much deeper level hidden between the stories and the gags.

"This is a book about life itself. What an unfathomable privilege it is, what are the things that truly matter during our existence. It's about the immense beauty of the world and its possibilities seen through the eyes of a very relentless, honest and complex character. It's about love and family, gain and loss, darkness and rebirth.

"And on top of that, well, it's just your good old-fashioned storytelling fun!"

"Music Inspired By The Life And Times Of Scrooge - Written And Produced By Tuomas Holopainen" track listing:

01. Glasgow 1877
02. Into The West
03. Duel & Cloudscapes
04. Dreamtime
05. Cold Heart Of The Klondike
06. The Last Sled
07. Goodbye, Papa
08. To Be Rich
09. A Lifetime Of Adventure
10. Go Slowly Now, Sands Of Time

Bonus track:

11. A Lifetime Of Adventure (Alternate Version)

The official video for the song "A Lifetime Of Adventure" can be seen below.

Good song, but I wonder if there is anything heavier on this album.

I'd have to be in the right mood to listen to that album... the song is good for what it is and Tuomas is talented. I'm more excited for a new Nightwish album with Floor on vocals!

I agree Joker, this isn't something i'd care to hear much.

Loved the song. And it was so cool to see Don Rosa in the video. Such a legend.

^^^ Don Rosa is the man!! He's the only Duck artist worthy of Carl Barks' legendary mantle.

Scrooge McDuck? Am I missing something?

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Scrooge McDuck? Am I missing something?

Nightwish Dude apparently has a thing for Duck comics.

Orchestral epic metal based on the life of Scrooge McDuck? Christ, no wonder heavy metal gets no respect.

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Orchestral epic metal based on the life of Scrooge McDuck? Christ, no wonder heavy metal gets no respect.

Donald Duck ist tr00! Scrooge McDuck ist KVLT! Beagle Boys ist Krieg!!

But seriously... yeah, it seems like a totally random thing to base an album around.

What's next, a thrash metal opera about "My Little Pony?"

Some Norwegian black metal band should do a Mickey Mouse concept album. Mickey clearly has the facepaint thing going already.

Fat Freddy wrote:

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Orchestral epic metal based on the life of Scrooge McDuck? Christ, no wonder heavy metal gets no respect.

Donald Duck ist tr00! Scrooge McDuck ist KVLT! Beagle Boys ist Krieg!!

But seriously... yeah, it seems like a totally random thing to base an album around.

What's next, a thrash metal opera about "My Little Pony?"

Well, this is why people are going trash the album, expecting it to be metal. It's not. It's supposed to be in the "soundtrack/classical/folk genre in the vein of Vaughan Williams, Michael Nyman, James Newton Howard and Enya." So it'll definitely not be a metal album.

I understand that it won't be metal. I just wonder what makes a guy wake up in the morning and decide to do an album about the life of Scrooge McDuck, no matter what genre!! Haha.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I understand that it won't be metal. I just wonder what makes a guy wake up in the morning and decide to do an  album about the  life of Scrooge McDuck, no matter what genre!! Haha.

I don't know. I guess when he was a kid it meant a lot to him.

Dont get me wrong, I read Scrooge McDuck comics for years. I even had a fan letter printed in one ... when I was in college! Haha.

Six years later I ordered this CD.

I just finished reading the book with my six-year-old son. And it's an amazing story really. Well written, good art, drama. We were both in tears when Scrooge learnt of the death of his mother. And by the time his father died, my son had grasped the concept of death, saying he is going to heaven with Scrooge's mother.

It's a beautifully written story, really. Something you don't expect in the genre of, well... ducks. We are subscribers of the weekly Donald Duck comic, but it can get trite fast. But these Life and Times stories transcend your average Disney comic. There is depth and the historical facts can make you feel like it really happened, despite it being, again, well... ducks. And how hard it must have been for miners and how many failed and how many died in poverty. It's also a tribute to anybody who tried and failed.

But it's a children's story. Not sure an adult who never read Scrooge adventures could suddenly get into them. I read some Don Rosa as a kid, so I touched base there. Of course Carl Barks laid the foundation and Don Rosa carried the torch. Many have read Barks comics. But Don Rosa really went way deeper in character development. There's even a sex scene, sort of. Implied only, but that's what it was.

As for Tuomas - he never hid his love for Disney. FantasMic was a tribute to Mickey Mouse already on Wishmaster back in 2000.

I like the music video and song. I'll post impressions once I get the CD. I'll listen to it with my son.

Hey, this could be a perfect gateway for a kid to get into heavy metal! Scrooge McDuck comics -> Tuomas Holopainen -> Nighwish -> melodic power metal -> aggressive power metal -> thrash metal -> ??. And then I guess work your way back to Scrooge McDuck comics again, like I did. Getting old is a lot like becoming a kid again.

I just watched a documentary about Don Rosa, the comic book artist who wrote/drew "The Life and Times of Scrooge," and Tuomas Holo-however-you-spell-it made an appearance in it to talk about how the story affected him and inspired this album.

He sez when he first met Don Rosa at a bookstore signing years ago, and told him "I'm going to do a soundtrack album to your story," Don was like "OK, pal, suuuure you are" ... when Tuomas finished the album a couple of years later he brought Don to his studio in Finland to hear the final product, and it brought Don to tears. That was kinda neat.

Fat Freddy wrote:

I just watched a documentary about Don Rosa, the comic book artist who wrote/drew "The Life and Times of Scrooge," and Tuomas Holo-however-you-spell-it made an appearance in it to talk about how the story affected him and inspired this album.

He sez when he first met Don Rosa at a bookstore signing years ago, and told him "I'm going to do a soundtrack album to your story," Don was like "OK, pal, suuuure you are" ... when Tuomas finished the album a couple of years later he brought Don to his studio in Finland to hear the final product, and it brought Don to tears. That was kinda neat.

What was that documentary and where did you see it?

Lari wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

I just watched a documentary about Don Rosa, the comic book artist who wrote/drew "The Life and Times of Scrooge," and Tuomas Holo-however-you-spell-it made an appearance in it to talk about how the story affected him and inspired this album.

He sez when he first met Don Rosa at a bookstore signing years ago, and told him "I'm going to do a soundtrack album to your story," Don was like "OK, pal, suuuure you are" ... when Tuomas finished the album a couple of years later he brought Don to his studio in Finland to hear the final product, and it brought Don to tears. That was kinda neat.

What was that documentary and where did you see it?

It's called "The Scrooge Mystery," and I saw it on the "Pluto" streaming app. I wrote a little more about it in the "Today I Watched..." thread.