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The Most Incredible Thing
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ballet score 
release date: 16th March 2011 
artwork: Hans Christian Andersen 
composed by: Tennant/Lowe 
concertmaster: Bartek Bober 
conductor: Dominic Wheeler 
contractor: Joris Bartsch Buhle 
design, art direction: Farrow, PSB 
edited by: Tobias Lehmann 
engineer: Tom Russbueldt 
sound engineer: Tobias Lehmann 
illustration: Farrow 
liner Notes: Tennant/Lowe 
lyrics by: Tennant/Lowe 
mixed by: Bob Kraushaar 
orchestrated by: Sven Helbig 
performer: Pet Shop Boys, The Wroc³aw Score Orchestra 
piano: Andreas Gundlach 
producer: Pet Shop Boys, Sven Helbig 
programmed by: Chris Lowe, Pete Gleadall
  
Tennant and Lowe proposed Andersen's story (about a competition in a mythical kingdom where the King announces that whoever invents the most incredible thing will win the hand of the Princess in marriage and half of the Kingdom) as the basis for a new ballet to Sadler's Wells Theatre in London in 2007 after a friend, the then-Royal Ballet principal, Ivan Putrov, asked Tennant if Pet Shop Boys would consider writing a piece of music for him to dance to at Sadler's Wells. Coincidentally a couple of days later, Lowe suggested to Tennant that "The Most Incredible Thing" would make an excellent narrative for a ballet and, inspired by this synchronicity, they approached Sadler's Wells with the project. The following year, Javier de Frutos was chosen as the choreographer and Matthew Dunster wrote a scenario for ballet ("a map for music"). Tennant and Lowe composed most of Act One in autumn 2008 and the rest of the score in 2010. They approached Sven Helbig to write the orchestrations. These were recorded in late 2010 in the Concert Hall of Polish Radio with the Wroc³aw Score Orchestra conducted by Dominic Wheeler. 
Tennant and Lowe said, "This is a very exciting project to be part of. In the past we have written dance music so to write music for a ballet seems like a logical development. Also we have always been fascinated by giving our music a theatrical context."  
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tracklist
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[CD #1: "Act 1 & 2" (5-0999-0-71694-2)]
- Prologue
 - The Grind
 - The Challenge
 - Help Me
 - Risk
 - Physical Jerks
 - The Competition
 - The Meeting
 - The Clock 1/2/3
 - The Clock 4/5/6
 - The Clock 7/8/9
 - The Clock 10/11/12
 - The Winner
 - Destruction
  
[CD #2: "Act 3" (5-0999-0-71697-2)]
- Back To The Grind
 - The Miracle - Ceremony
 - The Miracle - Revolution
 - The Miracle - Resurrection
 - The Miracle - Colour And Light
 - The Miracle - The Meeting (reprise)
 - The Wedding
  
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releases
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2xCD: 2011 PL (Parlophone; 5-0999-0-71692-2 9) [14 Mar 2011; hardback book ps; signed; x550] 
2xCD: 2011 PL (Parlophone; 5-0999-0-71692-2 9) [14 Mar 2011; hardback book ps] 
2xCD: 2011 PL (Parlophone; 5-0999-0-97342-2 7) [14 Mar 2011; plastic case] 
2xCD: 2011 JP (EMI; TOCP-70158/70159) [16 Mar 2011; plastic case; OBI] 
2xCD: 2011 AR (Parlophone; 5-0999-0-97342-2 7) [23 Mar 2011; plastic case] 
2xCD: 2011 CA (Parlophone; 5-0999-0-97342-2 7) [plastic case] 
6xLP: 2011 UK (Vinyl Factory; VF025) [ltd. 500x]
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