> I would like to extend an invitation to all who enjoy beautiful music to join me on a musical journey that will forever alter the way you think of the role of the electric guitar in a classical setting. Uli Jon Roth, the master of the Sky Guitar, will take us on this journey that spans nearly 300 years and even gives us a glimpse of the future as well.

> I received my advance copy of the CD and when I put it in the player, I found myself taken back to an earlier time in my life on a warm summer day in July of 1975. That was when it all began for me. My love and admiration for the playing of Uli began immediately upon the first listen to a disc of
vinyl called Fly to the Rainbow. The band- Scorpions of course. Most of us have experienced events in our lives that always remain fresh on our minds no matter how many years pass because they are defining and have an undeniable impact upon us that time will never erase. You ask if a piece of music can do that to you? I tell you, it most definitely can. And for a lover of music and aficionado of the guitar like myself, the memory of that day and the setting are forever emblazoned upon my mind. Every album since then that Uli has played on including the current one I am about to offer my thoughts on, has affected me in that manner. Setting aside personal taste, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Uli's talents on a guitar are imbued with a quality of uniqueness and genius that can only be attributed to the supreme creator of all that there is. And that along with my personal taste makes me
admire and appreciate his music and playing all the more.

> You may ask now when I will examine the music itself on this new album, which I now reveal is titled "Metamorphosis". First, please allow me to briefly examine the man that has created it and played it. In the time that I have had in corresponding with and personally speaking to Uli, I have gained more than just superficial knowledge of how he conducts himself, his attitudes on this life and his spiritual beliefs concerning life beyond this existence and how all of this shapes his creativity and how he makes his journey worthwhile in his time in this world. There is not time here to go into all of that in detail, and is not necessary in my view right now, but I would like to offer a few observations that I hope are accurate.

> I find Uli to be a man that displays a quiet intensity as he goes about his creation of music and I suspect that as the creative process goes from inspiration, to clearly formed ideas of how a piece of music is to be played, to the final reality of the piece performed to his satisfaction, that possibly
the experience is not only mental and physical, but even quite spiritual. In the beautiful prose poetry that Uli has created to compliment the music on Metamorphosis, we can see very clearly that he has explored the depths and heights of his existence as a spiritual being in this material world and he so
eloquently shares the results of his ongoing search with us. We are all ultimately beings of spirit and I believe that this life is but a passing vapor in comparison to the sum total of our existence in eternity, and Uli's writings challenge us to seek the truth for ourselves. I implore you not to neglect a thorough reading of Uli's poetry as I believe that he is indeed a truth seeker, and I think he would agree that if you seek the truth and seek it diligently, it will truly set you free.

> Equally important and an integral part of this entire body of work is the artwork that Uli has included in the CD booklet that is a fabulous montage of images that combine past works by masters of the art world as well as art he has personally created himself. When combining all the elements of this extensive work, we are presented with a clear picture of a man that is a true renaissance man. A musician, a painter, and a writer of poetry and philosophy. Instead of offering my personal interpretation of the artwork, I would ask you to examine it carefully as you listen to the music and read the poetry and seek the answers for yourself. I can say that Uli provides many clues as to where you may look and he draws from his extensive study and search for truth and peace found in philosophy, poetry, mythology and religion. Also contained in the artwork is the return of the image of a spacecraft from beyond this earth that was first seen in the artwork for the Electric Sun album-
Beyond the Astral Skies. Will we someday gain knowledge and truth from beyond the stars? Only time will tell.

> Now is the time to get to the heart of the matter, the music itself. Uli has much to say in the liner notes that is quite enlightening and will give the listener a cogent portrayal of how he conceived the idea to arrange and perform Antonio Vivaldi's concertos known as the "Four Seasons" along with
his own concerto entitled "Metamorphosis". In light of this, I will only touch upon certain aspects of Uli's story about the creation of this modern masterpiece that exposes us to an entirely new dimension in his interpretation of this timeless classic. Written and published in about 1725, Vivaldi, who was
nicknamed 'prete rosso' for his flowing red hair, was probably at the height of his powers. Although he created many more concertos and operas during his lifetime, the "Four Seasons" remains his most beloved. Uli's approach to the guitar and this piece of music is a perfect fit. I will say right now
that it is not only astounding that Uli has achieved the result that he has in his interpretation of Vivaldi, but he has equally astounded with his own original concerto that carries the listener into uncharted territory that is even more delightful and inspiring than the former.

> The "Four Seasons" is comprised of four concertos broken down into 3 movements for each season. However, Uli added an original guitar cadenza at the end of the Winter season that bridges the Vivaldi concertos to his own Metamorphosis. More on this stunning piece of solo guitar later.

> Being familiar with the Four Seasons primarily through hearing it performed by violin, strings and basso continuo, I was thrilled when I heard how vigorous and powerful Uli's guitar is right from the start as he launches into the first movement of the Spring season. This is after a brief spoken
introduction by Uli entitled The Morning of Forever which sets the tone for the music and poetry to follow. The Spring season is one of my favorites of the four and Uli's notes dazzle and scintillate as his fingers dance around the fretboard with astonishing precision and speed. This tells us what to expect from Uli as it is quite obvious that he is going to push the envelope on his technical abilities on this album and then some.

> Fantastic! As Uli states in the liner notes, he took the liberty of assigning titles to the different movements of the seasons and in many cases, he quietly utters a few words between movements to prepare the listener for the next one. The musical journey through the seasons has begun and Uli is taking us where we have never been before. As Uli continues through the third movement of Spring, his playing continues to be spirited and commanding and it builds in strength as he seamlessly moves into the Summer movement. Here his playing continues to be powerful with his solo guitar striding forth with incredible beauty as he comes to a familiar movement of Summer, the third which he
entitles The Tempest- Tuona e Fulmina. Here his notes explode and cascade again and again and the smile on my face grows ever larger. Uli is far from finished with an intensity of brilliant guitar as he moves into the Autumn season barely slowing down after the uplifting performance of the Summer. Again, the pattern is repeated as Vivaldi wrote it, 'quick- slow- quick' and the first and third movements of Autumn display Uli's playing at its most demanding.

> The second movements are not to be discounted by any means as Uli shows his mastery of slower melody and we are given a sense of peaceful serenity during those movements. The third movement of Autumn is resplendent with majesty and Uli captures it perfectly and again leaves the listener amazed at the beautiful soloing he performs as Autumn finally merges into Winter. As Uli moves into the Winter season, there is no slowing down in terms of passion and intensity and the passages he plays in the first movement are quite intricate and technical as he builds for the mind blowing performance that is the fourth movement that Uli created as the bridge between Vivaldi and his own concerto. This fourth movement is entitled Thunder Cadenza and I must say that it is without a doubt some of the finest solo guitar that I have ever heard Uli play.

> Uli takes the stage alone here and for a full minute and twenty seconds his utterly heart stopping solo stands as some of the most mesmerizing and beautiful playing ever performed on the guitar. With that said, prepare yourself as you are now going to embark upon the final portion of this musical journey, and if you thought you had heard the best that Uli can offer, Metamorphosis will dispel any doubt you had as to the genius of this man. Prepare to experience the pinnacle of Uli Jon Roth's guitar prowess!

> Metamorphosis is an all original concerto created by Uli that is the ideal compliment to the stellar performance of the Four Seasons and transports the listener into a new realm of electric guitar in a setting of classical composition that has heretofore been unrealized. His poetry that accompanies
this piece of music will challenge you as I alluded to previously to search your inner spirit for ultimate truth and how you may obtain a peace that passes all understanding. Read this carefully and when you are finished, hopefully not only the music that you have heard will be an inspiration to you, but Uli's words will as well.

> Metamorphosis is broken up into 9 movements and ends with a postlude. This is a concerto that you will never forget. The first movement entitled Cry of the Night picks up without interruption from the Thunder Cadenza with a flowing melody reminiscient of some of Uli's earlier work but expands upon it and moves into a slower passage that recalls some of the peaceful movements of the Vivaldi work. The third movement entitled Rodeo From Hell shifts things into high gear again with a slightly western theme as the notes fly from Uli's fingers only to melt into an almost melancholy passage entitled Les Adieux which then gives way to another movement that recalls the first movement of the Spring concerto. Here Uli is in full flight on the Sky Guitar as the notes come raining down in a torrent that repeats over and over again ever ascending to a higher level of exhilaration until he moves into the next movement entitled Heart of Chopin that ends in a melody that brought tears to my eyes.
Dance of the Water Spirits comes next and with it comes the feeling of elation as Uli continues with his technical mastery of the guitar with rapid and melodious runs up and down the fretboard. As this movement concludes, we are nearing the end of the concerto and next is the Transfiguration. This movement is powerful, yet soothing and moves finally into the 9th movement entitled Venga la Vita which is a tour de force of solo guitar not unlike the Thunder Cadenza in its intensity and once again leaves the listener incredulous that this man can play things on a guitar that should scarcely be humanly possible! We now come to the end of this magnificent piece of music with the postlude
entitled The Morning of Forever that harkens back to the Prelude to the Seasons and is performed on piano and strings. This final movement seems to indicate a new beginning is about to take place, but it is full of hope and ends calmly and peacefully.

> So our musical journey with Uli has ended for now. And what a wonderful journey it was for me and I hope for you as well. I could extol the virtues of Uli's guitar playing endlessly, but I hope that you will explore his music and his poetry for yourself and come away with the sense that you left this world for a brief time to experience joy, peace, exhilaration and that it put a smile on your face and a tear in your eye. If I could look into the future, I would not be surprised to see that the name Uli Jon Roth is regarded at the same level of esteem as the master composers he is so uniquely and
amazingly interpreting in his own indelible way. I can't wait to go on future musical journeys with Uli!