Ekseption

"Ekseption's idea to record well-known classical themes started in 1968, when the group visited a concert of a British group called The Nice. The six boys were impressed by the way The Nice mixed pop and classical music. A few weeks after the concert Ekseption was invited to play with one of the finest symphony orchestras in Holland - the North Holland Philharmonic - at a big festival in Haarlem. The obvious man with Ekseption to handle this project was 22 year old pianist Rick van der Linden, who is also one the promising young classical pianists in Holland. Rick, who finished Conservatory and has played piano recitals with well-known orchestras, started to arrange several classical themes for the festival. Some weeks before the event, however, Ekseption was told that the orchestra refused to perform with a pop group. That part of the festival was cancelled, but Ekseption stuck to the idea and decided to use the arrangement of Beethoven's "The 5th" for their new record. "The 5th" was an instant smash hit and stayed for seven weeks in the national Top Ten. This LP was the result of requests for more 'classical pop' from Ekseption's many fans." Label reads: 873.003