Nikolo Kotzev- ‘Nostradamus’ A Rock Opera

 

(Studio Re-Issue & Live in Sofia)

 


Nostradamus: Astrologer, Physician and/or Prophet:
  Nostradamus was born Michel de Nostradame on December 14 or 21, 1503, in the south of France in Saint-Remy-de-Provence. He was one of nine children born to Reyniere de St-Remy and her husband Jaume de Nostradame, a well-to-do grain dealer and part-time notary of Jewish descent.
   Nostradame’s grandfather, Guy Gassonet, had converted to Catholicism a half century earlier and changed the family name to Nostradame, in part to avoid persecution during the Inquisition.
   Little is known of his childhood, but evidence indicates he was very intelligent as he quickly advanced through school. Early in his life, he was tutored by his maternal grandfather, Jean de St. Remy, who saw great intellect and potential in his grandson.
   During this time, young Nostradame was taught the rudiments of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and mathematics. It’s believed that his grandfather also introduced him to the ancient rites of Jewish tradition and the teachings of astrology, giving Nostradame his first exposure to the idea of the heavens and how they might drive human destiny.
   At the age of 14, Nostradame entered the University of Avignon to study medicine. He was forced to leave after only one year, however, due to an outbreak of the bubonic plague. According to his own account, he traveled throughout the countryside during this time, researching herbal remedies and working as an apothecary.
   In 1522 he entered the University of Montpellier to complete his doctorate in medicine. He sometimes expressed dissension with the teachings of the Catholic priests, who dismissed his notions of astrology.

   There are some reports that university officials discovered his previous experience as an apothecary and found this reason to expel him from school. Evidently the school took a dim view of anyone who was involved in what was considered a “manual trade.
    However, most accounts state he was not expelled and received license to practice medicine in 1525. At this time, he Latinized his name—as was the custom of many medieval academics—from Nostradame to Nostradamus.
    Over the next several years, Nostradamus traveled throughout France and Italy, treating victims of the plague. There was no known remedy at the time; most doctors relied on potions made of mercury, the practice of bloodletting and dressing patients in garlic-soaked robes.
   Nostradamus developed some very progressive methods for dealing with the plague. He didn’t bleed his patients, instead practicing effective hygiene and encouraging the removal of the infected corpses from city streets.
   He became known for creating a “rose pill,” an herbal lozenge made of rosehips (rich in vitamin C) that provided some relief for patients with mild cases of the plague. His cure rate was impressive, though much can be attributed to keeping his patients clean, administering low-fat diets and providing plenty of fresh air.
   In time, Nostradamus found himself somewhat of a local celebrity for his treatments and received financial support from many of the citizens of Provence. 1n 1531, he was invited to work with a leading scholar of the time, Jules-Cesar Scaliger in Agen, in southwestern France.
   There he married and in the next few years had two children. In 1534, his wife and children died—presumably of the plague—while he was traveling on a medical mission to Italy. Not being able to save his wife and children caused him to fall out of favor in the community and with his patron, Scaliger.

   In 1538, an offhanded remark about a religious statue resulted in charges of heresy against Nostradamus. When ordered to appear before the Inquisition, he wisely chose to leave Provence to travel for several years through Italy, Greece and Turkey.
   During his travels to the ancient mystery schools, it is believed that Nostradamus experienced a psychic awakening. One of the legends of Nostradamus says that, during his travels in Italy, he came upon a group of Franciscan monks, identifying one as the future Pope. The monk, called Felice Peretti, was eventually ordained Pope Sixtus V in 1585, fulfilling the prediction of Nostradamus.
   Feeling he’d stayed away long enough to be safe from the Inquisition, Nostradamus returned to France to resume his practice of treating plague victims. In 1547, he settled in his hometown of Salon-de-Provence and married a rich widow named Anne Ponsarde. Together they had six children—three boys and three girls.
   Nostradamus had also published two books on medical science by this time. One was a translation of Galen, the Roman physician, and a second book, The Traite des Fardemens, was a medical cookbook for treating the plague and for the preparation of cosmetics.  The book also contains everything from candies and jams to even a love potion.
   Within a few years of his settling into Salon, Nostradamus began moving away from medicine and more toward the occult. It is said that he would spend hours in his study at night meditating in front of a bowl filled with water and herbs. The meditation would bring on a trance and visions. It’s believed the visions were the basis of his predictions for the future.
   In 1550, Nostradamus wrote his first almanac of astrological information and predictions of the coming year. Almanacs were very popular at the time, as they provided useful information for farmers and merchants and contained entertaining bits of local folklore and predictions for the coming year.
   Nostradamus began writing about his visions and incorporating them into his first almanac. The publication received a great response, and served to spread his name all across France, which encouraged Nostradamus to write more.
   By 1554, Nostradamus’ visions had become an integral part of his works in the almanacs, and he decided to channel all his energies into a massive opus he initially titled Centuries. He planned to write 10 volumes, which would contain 100 predictions forecasting the next 2,000 years.
   In 1555 he published Les Prophesies, or The Prophecies, a collection of his major, long-term predictions. Possibly feeling vulnerable to religious persecution, he devised a method of obscuring the prophecies’ meanings by using quatrains—rhymed four-line verses—and a mixture of other languages such as Greek, Italian, Latin and Provencal, a dialect of southern France.
   Oddly enough, Nostradamus enjoyed a good relationship with the Vatican. It’s believed he never faced prosecution for heresy by the Inquisition because he didn’t extend his writings to the practice of magic. His popularity grew and he became one of the most famous figures during the Renaissance.

   Nostradamus ran into some controversy with his predictions, as some thought he was a servant of the devil, and others said he was a fake or insane. However, many more believed the prophecies were spiritually inspired.
   Most of the quatrains Nostradamus composed during his life dealt with disasters such as earthquakes, wars, floods, invasions, murders, droughts, battles and plagues. Nostradamus enthusiasts have credited him with predicting numerous events in world history including the French Revolution; the rise of Napoleon and Hitler; the development of the atomic bomb; the assassination of JFK and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
   More recently, enthusiasts claim that Nostradamus predicted the rise of COVID-19 when he wrote, “Near the gates and within two cities/There will be two scourges the like of which was never seen. Famine within plague, people put out by steel/Crying to the great immortal God for relief.
   Nostradamus’s popularity seems to be due in part to the fact that the vagueness of his writings and their lack of specific dates make it easy to selectively quote them after any major dramatic events and retrospectively claim them as true.
   Some scholars believe he was not writing to be a prophet but writing to comment on events of his time and the people in it. Whatever his method or intentions, Nostradamus’ timeless predictions continue to make him popular to those seeking answers to life’s more difficult questions.

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STUDIO RE-ISSUE:

Cast/Vocalists:

Joe Lynn Turner – Nostradamus
Alannah Myles - Anne Gemelle
Sass Jordan - Queen Catherine of France
Glenn Hughes - King Henri II of France
Göran Edman - Soldier/Ghost
Jørn Lande – Inquisitor
Doogie White - Storyteller

Musicians:

Nikolo Kotzev - Guitars, Violin

Mic Michaeli - Organ

John Levén - Bass

Ian Haugland - Drums

The Sofia Strings Symphonic Orchestra conducted by Nelko Kolarov

‘Live in Sofia’ (Bulgaria):

LIVE STAGE CHARACTERS:

Alexander Atanasov (Bulgaria) – Nostradamus

Zvezdi Keremidchiev (Bulgaria) – The Inquisitor

Amalia Nenova (Bulgaria) – Anne Gemelle

Björn Lodin (Sweden) – The Storyteller

Thomas Vikström (Sweden) – Soldier / Ghost

Mehmet Kaya (Turkey) – King Henry II

Nora Karaivanova (Bulgaria) - Catherine de Medici

Ben Cross (Chariots of Fire, First Knight, Star Trek etc.) – The Narrator

KIKIMORA – BAND MEMBERS:

Nikolo Kotzev – guitars

Angel Dyulgerov – guitars

Anthony Georgiev – keyboards

Radoslav Todorov – keyboards

Nikolay Todorov – drums

Nikolai Tsvetkov – bass

OTHER CREDITS:

The State Opera – Rousse - orchestra, choir, ballet, choreography, costumes

Orlin Dyakov - director of the play

Nayden Todorov – conductor

Ivan Ivanov – Johani – scenographer

Nikolay Buzov - costume designer

Nikolo Kotzev - musical director

DISC I:

1.) “Overture”

2.) “Pieces Of A Dream”
3.) “Desecration”
4.) “Introduction”
5.) “Home Again”
6.) “Henriette”
7.) “Caught Up In A Rush”
8.) “The Eagle”
9.) “Plague”
10.) “Inquisition”
11.) “The King Will Die”
12.) “I Don't Believe”
13.) “Try To Live Again”

DISC II:

1.) “War Of Religions”
2.) “The Inquisitor's Rage”
3.) “Chosen Man”
4.) “World War II”
5.) “World War III”
6.) “Because Of You”

7.) “The End Of The World”

8.) “I'll Remember You”

 

   In 1998, founding member of Brazen Abbot Nikolo Kotzev began working on a three year project to be called ‘Nostradamus’.  This was not going to be a concept Rock album in the sense as Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’.  This was going to be a full blown opera in the sense as the soundtrack of The Who’s ‘Tommy’. (more detail in the closing)  By the end of the first year of its release it had sold over 50,000 copies.  This was not just a great accomplishment.  But astonishing for a Rock Opera!!!!

   This rock opera is quite possibly the most successful attempt for the Heavy Metal genre to have ever come around. ‘Nostradamus’s huge success results are greatly related to the fact that the CD's creator (Kotzev) is not only a rock composer, but also an accomplished classical composer. The result is a CD that combines progressive metal work, progressive rock, and plenty of classical/operatic leanings to achieve a very potent mix. Kotzev also recruited a considerably impressive cast to fill out the roles in his creation. That cast includes such names as Alannah Myles, Sass Jordan, Glenn Hughes, and Joe Lynn Turner. All of these things together made for a very powerful, emotional, and inspiring.
    As for the DVD version of the release titled, ‘Live In Sofia’.  It is very understandable that for ‘Live in Sofia’ does not have the same cast as the studio version.  It would have been almost impossible for Nikolo to have covered the cost.  I mean the over-head would have been astronomical!  Or for that matter, a scheduling nightmare!  With that being said the question is, how well does this live cast do compared to the studio cast?  Too me, I found that the live cast performed it to almost perfection.
   Listening to these two releases sparked a huge debate at our weekly office meeting is there a difference between a concept album and a Rock opera.  Three of our staff says there wasn’t a difference however I say there is.  A perfect example of the difference is The Who’s Rock Opera ‘Tommy’.  The studio version is a concept album however, when they released the soundtrack with different vocalist consisting of different vocalists portraying the different characters it becomes an opera.
   Much like I did in ’01 Rock opera’s are very difficult for me to write.  There are just too many musical nuances’ and lyrical concepts.  If you compared ‘Nostradamus’ to Rock/Hard Rock/Heavy Metal concept albums this ranks up there with Queensryche’s- ‘Mind Crime’!  This is an absolute must have!!!! In fact, just purchase the CD/Blu-Ray companion!!!!!