Anyone who thinks that Soundscapes are an inherently snoozy, passive experience would do well to listen to the intensely dramatic introductory solo of At The End Of Time where you will encounter a passionate cry to the heavens that ranks as one Fripp’s best.
A different kind of mood is engendered through the appearance of the main melody from Starless being woven into Acceptance/Affirming. Those tender notes will have brought all kinds of resonances for those listening in that particular space that evening. Perhaps for some it was remembering where they were when they first heard it, as past and present briefly coalesced, held in the moment by a timeless theme.
Finally, the closing moments of a second At The End Of Time briefly echoes the anguished mood of the first, In his diary, Fripp noted: “A rich day in what-was-formerly a secular cathedral and is now sacred space, perhaps comparable to a churchyard or war grave. When I looked at the teams of people visiting, I saw pilgrimage. The resonances here are powerful. More tomorrow.”
