Song of Achellis

**A NEW YORK TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, MAIL ON SUNDAY and GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022**

Improvising sonic adventurers, weaving psychedelic tales across the cosmic tapestry of the Orangeverse. It’s all an illusion. Might as well be the imagination of an orange.

A landmark 50-song, three-CD set featuring John Mellencamp, The Blind Boys ofAlabama, MarthaWainwright, The Black Crowes, Andrew Bird and many others This one of a kind collection tells the history of our country through song, from 1492 through modern times, offering listeners a way to connect with America's vast musical and cultural heritage. These are new versions of beloved songs interpreted by an array of diverse and talented contemporary artists. The project was envisioned by Janet Reno and artist/producer Ed Pettersen, and co-produced by Pettersen and Grammy-winning producer David Macias.

Two works by American composer, Walter Arlen, who escaped Vienna when Hitler invaded and moved to Chicago where he worked as a journalist and composer.

Arlen was a Jewish composer, originally from Austria who escaped Hitler’s invasion into Vienna. His family was persecuted, and lots of his family were murdered or committed suicide as a result of the holocaust, which inspired a lot of his compositional writing. When he escaped to the US where he lived with family friends, Arlen entered songs in a competition, winning first prize. This allowed him to live, study and work as amanuensis with Roy Harris. Through Harris he was introduced to famous composers of the day (such as Schoenberg, Mahler etc) and wrote for the Los Angeles Times as music reviewer for many years before committing to his own compositional works, both of whom have had additions made by conductor Kenneth Woods, with Arlen’s permission.

The OST, composed by Howard Shore, is performed by Decca Classics violinist Ray Chen. An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Norman Lebrecht, the film stars Tim Roth and Clive Owen. As Europe erupts into World War II, 9 year old Martin comes to love his new brother Dovidl, a highly gifted violin prodigy of the same age and recent Polish-Jewish refugee to London.