Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a newly re-mastered and expanded 3CD clamshell box edition of the classic album “Novella” by RENAISSANCE. Recorded in late 1976 the album featured the epic ‘Can You Hear Me?’ along with the classic tracks ‘Midas Man’ ‘ Touching Once (Is So Hard to Keep)’ and ‘The Sisters’. Because of record company issues the album was released in January 1977 in the USA but appeared in the UK and Europe in August 1977. “Novella” was a top 50 hit album in the USA and the band’s following in the UK grew steadily. To promote the album release in the UK Renaissance featuring highly gifted vocalist Annie Haslam Michael Dunford (acoustic and electric guitars) John Tout (keyboards vocals) Jon Camp (bass acoustic & electric guitars vocals) and Terry Sullivan (drums percussion) undertook some concerts in Britain with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra culminating with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 14th October 1977. The impressive set list featured material from “Novella” alongside such classic tracks as ‘Carpet of the Sun’ ‘Mother Russia’ ‘Can You Understand’ ‘Running Hard’ ‘Song of Scheherezade’ and ‘Ashes Are Burning’. This expanded edition of “Novella” has been newly re-mastered from the original master tapes and features a previously unreleased promotional single edit of ‘Midas Man’ and a new-to- cd single edit of ‘Can You Hear Me’ along with the entire performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in October 1977. The release also features an illustrated booklet with a new essay.

DISC ONE:
“NOVELLA” RE-MASTERED
1. CAN YOU HEAR ME?
2. THE SISTERS
3. MIDAS MAN
4. THE CAPTIVE HEART
5. TOUCHING ONCE (IS SO HARD TO KEEP)
BONUS TRACKS
6. CAN YOU HEAR ME? (SINGLE EDIT) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
7. MIDAS MAN (SINGLE EDIT) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD)

DISC TWO:
LIVE AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL LONDON 14th OCTOBER 1977
1. PROLOGUE (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
2. CAN YOU UNDERSTAND (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
3. CARPET OF THE SUN (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
4. CAN YOU HEAR ME? (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
5. SONG OF SCHEHERAZADE (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
a. FANFARE
b. THE BETRAYAL
c. THE SULTAN
d. LOVE THEME
e. THE YOUNG PRINCE AND PRINCESS AS TOLD BY SCHEHERAZADE
f. FESTIVAL PREPARATIONS
g. FUGUE FOR THE SULTAN
h. THE FESTIVAL
i. FINALE

DISC THREE:
LIVE AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL LONDON 14th OCTOBER 1977
1. RUNNING HARD (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
2. MIDAS MAN (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
3. TOUCHING ONCE (IS SO HARD TO KEEP) (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)
4. ASHES ARE BURNING (LIVE WITH THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 1977)