STRATOVARIUS Mainman Issues Update On 'Saana' Clasical Rock Opera

STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has issued the following update on his upcoming classical rock opera, "Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island":

"I have been mixing 'Saana' at Sonic Pump in Helsinki for four days now. First three days went pretty much just to get all the material from several different sources to the same place. It ended up being 123 tracks, which is way bigger than any STRATOVARIUS session. That means it's gonna be hard to mix.

"Anyways, I am getting the vibe and emotion and build up the mixes from emotional point of view.

"I have played some stuff to some people and they have started to cry. When I asked what did you feel, the answer was that there seems to be so much feelings and emotions in the music that it just makes you cry. The listener has no choice because it is actually like when you are watching a film and you know 'those moments' when you feel like crying or touched.

"Well, I have a big task to fit 123 tracks to stereo. I will do surround mixes to at the same time.

"My sleeping rhythm is just completely fucked up. I wake up at 4 in the morning and can't get more sleep. So then I head to studio and start working. Weird.

"I have learned so much from this project that has taken one year from my life. I don't think I will ever be able to look at music at the same level. The singers were so much in tune with their feelings that it was just so easy to get great performances. I have some amazing stuff there like Jennifer [Sowle] singing very touching line and when she stops singing you hear this sobbing. This has never happened before. She requested that all the vocals must be done the way that she lies on her back. I have never seen that before. She also had a goldfish with her that she kept there all the time. His name is Giacomo and it was a bit weird to have it there all the time and take it back to her place.

"Anyway all is proceeding as planned. Try to relax folks... it's XMas time. I can't, but I head for some warm place after it's ready."

"Saana - Warrior of Light Part 1: Journey to Crystal Island" is a multimedia adventure containing almost one hour of music and comes with a full all region bonus DVD that contains the whole story in film format as well. It also has lots of other extras and a brand new interview of Timo Tolkki about his past, present and future.

Featuring the talents of Jennifer Sowle, Aino Laos, Heikki Poyhiä and Janette Sainio, this album is a breathtaking experience of emotions. They were all carefully chosen for their respective roles and they enhance the musical journey in a way that hasn't really been heard before. Timo Tolkki calls it "a classical rock opera."