‘Sadeness ’ is only one piece of the puzzle, ” Cretu explained to Billboard ’s Flick. This is a complete piece of work with many different levels and sounds. “The great misconception of people who have only heard ‘Sadeness ’ is that the whole album is filled with chanting. Even so, “Sadeness Part I, ” a song marked by its inclusion of Gregorian chant, was destined to become the album ’s runaway single. The video import of MCMXC a.D.is a gorgeous swirl of images seamlessly interpreting the entire album. is definitely more a cathartic aural journey than a collection of individual songs. ” A mixture of sixth-century Gregorian chants, bewitching French whispers -provided by Cretu ’s wife, Sandra -and hypnotic, ethereal music set to intoxicating dance rhythms, MCMXC a.D. You have to look at what ’s between the lines. The words and sounds are like flashlight beams. In the United States MCMXC a.D.went platinum by the first week in May of 1991 and earned double-platinum status by the fall of 1993.Ĭretu told Alan di Perna of Keyboard, “I conceived of the whole album as a single song. Management -Nizzari Artist Management, 410 West 25th St., New York, NY 10001.Īnd won gold and/or platinum awards in 25 countries. D., Virgin/Charisma, 1990 (Europe), 1991 (U.S.).Īwards: Gold records for producing albums by Michael Oldfield and Sandra in Europe platinum album for MCMXC a.D.in U.S., 1991 platinum record for single “Sadeness Part I, ” 1991 double-platinum album for MCMXC a.D., 1993 platinum album for The CROSS Of Changes, 1994 gold record for single “Return to Innocence, ” Virgin/Charisma, 1994 gold and/or platinum awards for MCMXC a.D.in 25 countries Echo Award for most successful German production abroad, 1995, for The CROSS Of Changes.Īddresses: Record company -Virgin Records, 338 North Foothill Rd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210 or 1790 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10019. As Michael Cretu, released first album, Legionare, Virgin, 1983 as Enigma, released debut album, MCMXC a. 2 in Bucharest, 1965 studied music in Paris, France, 1968 attended Academy of Music in Frankfurt, Germany, 1975-78, and earned a degree in music.
Education: Studied classical music at Lyzeum No. The LP eventually sold more than 12 million units worldwide, For the Record …īand consists of Michael Cretu, born May 18, 1957, in Bucharest, Romania married Sandra Lauer (a singer), 1988. MCMXC a.D.was released on December 3, 1990, in Europe through Virgin Germany and on February 12, 1991, in the U.S. Inspired by such groups as the Art of Noise and Pink Floyd, Cretu assembled Enigma ’s debut album, MCMXC a.D.(the roman numeral representation of 1990), on an AudioFrame system at his home studio in Spain. Cretu released his first solo album on Virgin, Legion äre (which means legionnaires), in 1983, but his solo efforts before taking the name Enigma failed to earn U.S. Since 1985 Cretu has produced seven albums for Sandra, including her first international hit single, “Maria Magdalena, ” which went to Number One in more than 30 countries. Cretu has also won gold record awards for producing albums by his wife, Euro-dance chanteuse Sandra, and multi-instrumentalist-composer Michael Oldfield. The artists with whom he has been associated include Hubert Kah, Peter Cornelius, Moti Special, and Sylvie Vartan. In 1980 Cretu won his first gold record for his production work. Deserting his goal of classical music, he claimed, “I started writing hits the day I sold my piano. From 1975 to 1978 he attended the Academy of Music in Frankfurt, Germany, where he earned a degree in music.
2 -a college for young and gifted musical talents -with piano as his main subject, and he also studied for five months in 1968 in Paris, France. ”īorn on May 18, 1957, in Bucharest, Romania, Cretu pursued an early goal of becoming a concert pianist by studying classical music. This is music that is different from any other available at the moment. ” He continued, “Contrary to the usual record company philosophy, people areopen-minded and starved for something unique. There is a sense of mystery in the music that I wanted to leave untouched by the perceptions and preconceived ideas that come with the past history of a producer or a songwriter. “With Enigma, ” Cretu explained to Larry Flick in Billboard, I have created a complete piece of music that I wanted to let stand alone. press information billed Enigma as the creation of a German producer who preferred to remain anonymous. ” Even though Europeans were hip to Cretu ’s identity, early U.S. Michael Cretu, the man who is Enigma, declared his creative philosophy in a Virgin Records press release: “Old rules and habits have to be rejected and dismissed so that something new can be created.