“The more my projects go against the mainstream, the more successful they become.” Frank Peterson should know. The producer, who with Enigma and 'Time To Say Goodbye' has already turned at least two unusual musical concepts into international million sellers, has once again really got his timing right with Gregorian. The debut album 'Masters of Chant' sold a million copies across the world. “Chapter II” will be released in October.

How Peterson managed to find sufficient time to record the second Gregorian issue over the past months remains his personal secret. After all, more than a dozen gold and platinum discs (among others in Portugal, Germany, Australia and the Philippines) over the past weeks together with award ceremonies demanded the Hamburg producer's presence all over the world.

The visionary took six months for the production. Nine months if you include the song selection. Not every song is suitable for the Gregorian concept - reinterpreting the best songs form the past forty years with a Gregorian choir - even if it does seem fit in perfectly. “The selection criterion is quite simple: Gregorian chant uses only seven notes,” explains Frank Peterson. “The song is ruled out as soon as semitone steps crop up.” That means “Wish You Were Here” and “Brothers In Arms” are no problem. A song like “Sacrifice” on the other hand has no chance. The aforementioned Elton John hit from 1990 would have suited Gregorian perfectly, however. Alongside the musical 'qualification' the compatibility of the content with the clerical voices is important.

The surrounds are also a major factor. After recording the first album with excellent British chorists (Philip Conway, Thomas Barnard, Jeremy Birchall, Andrew Busher, Mark Bradbury, Timothy Holmes, Roger Langford, Gregory Moore, David Porter Thomas and Christopher Tickner) in a church converted into a recording studio, Peterson decided to work in a church again, this time Henry Wood Hall in London. A mobile recording studio was set up specially. The way the preparations are worked out down to the finest detail is another reason why the successful producer and his team, Jan Eric Cohrs, Karsten Heussmann and Michael Soltau, do not worry about copies. “You need top quality infrastructure for this kind of project,” he explains, “you can't just take any professional singers to any studio and start recording.”

Peterson has, however, managed to overcome the constraints of the Gregorian concept and has brought in a few new ideas for “Chapter II”. Whereas “Chapter I” exclusively contained evergreens from the past forty years, for example, “When A Man Loves A Woman”, “Sound of Silence”, “Sebastian”, “Vienna” and “Brothers In Arms”, this time the Gregorian repertoire features two of his own compositions - “Moment Of Peace” and “Babylon”. The reinterpreted classics include: Phil Collins' “In The Air Tonight”, Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” and Deep Purple's “Child In Time”.

All in all “Chapter II” is somewhat more sophisticated in terms of production compared with its award-winning predecessor. “We worked a lot more with string orchestras and guitars,” explains Peterson, who is spurred on by the increased expectations following the success of the first record. “You always have to make sure you do not bore people with a lack of ideas or expect too much of them with over ambitious experiments,” explains the star producer. He knows, however, hundred thousands of people form Singapore to Seattle are waiting for the next chapter in the Gregorian story. “Masters of Chant Chapter II” will not disappoint a single one of them. Those who have experienced Gregorian chant first-hand know the fascination the sound and voices of the monks can inspire, the calming effect of the sacral chant on the human soul and spirit and the spell the choral style of the complex chants casts over many people - just as it did at the time of Pope Gregory I around the year 600. The music offers people solace and tranquility not only in deeply religious countries, but all around the world as well.

In a time when hectic and stress are part of the daily routine and the refuges where people can collect and reinvigorate themselves are becoming increasingly scarce and valuable, the successful producer Frank Peterson form Hamburg has created something very special. This project unites past and future harmoniously and ventures a look into the new millennium. “I wanted to create something unique, something that would last,” says Peterson.

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