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Toby Young: Beowulf / Young, Armonico Consort
Signum Classics

Toby Young: Beowulf / Young, Armonico Consort

$9.99
$19.99 Save 50%

Details

Composer
YOUNG, TOBY
Artist
Thomas, West, Armonico Consort, Monks
Format
CD
Label
Signum Classics
Released
Sep 18, 2020
Catalog #
SIGCD632
UPC
635212063224

About

The story of Beowulf, although thousands of years old, is still loved by many all over the world. This recording of a new musical telling of the story, composed by Toby Young, blurs traditional sense of the genre of classical music by merging it with folk and popular music. This fusion is what makes Beowulf a fantastic story. The greatest versions of the story are not those defined by a simplistic clash of good versus bad, but the ones which involve slight ambiguous points; ones which allow the reader/listener to make his/her mind up about what is exactly going on. The combination of Toby Young’s score and Jennifer Thorp’s libretto create this perfectly – with characterful narration by celebrated actor Timothy West, beautiful performances by soprano Elin Manahan Thomas.

REVIEW

This disc is really a lot of fun. The English composer Toby Young (b. 1990) studied at King’s College, Cambridge (with Robin Holloway) and New College, Oxford. This work is a retelling of the classic story of Beowulf, involving a script by William Towers, based on ideas by Danny Coleman-Cooke, and a sung libretto by Jennifer Thorp. Famed actor Timothy West is the superb narrator, and the young choral forces sing music to accompaniment of a small instrumental ensemble. Coleman-Cooke’s treatment of the story introduces ambiguity rather than hewing to a simple good vs. evil dynamic. Young’s music feels perfectly gauged. Each “cue” is never too long. The overall style is both completely of the present while also evoking the “ancient” era of the story. It is beautifully recorded and performed, and makes for a most enjoyable hour of storytelling in words and music.

--Fanfare

Tracklist 24 tracks

  1. 1 Prologue 02:37
    Track
    1
    Title
    Prologue
    Duration
    02:37
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  2. 2 Celebration 02:31
    Track
    2
    Title
    Celebration
    Duration
    02:31
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  3. 3 Hwaet! Listen 00:47
    Track
    3
    Title
    Hwaet! Listen
    Duration
    00:47
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  4. 4 Great Hall 03:42
    Track
    4
    Title
    Great Hall
    Duration
    03:42
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  5. 5 Refrain - Light, Laughter and Love were Loathsome to Grendel 00:29
    Track
    5
    Title
    Refrain - Light, Laughter and Love were Loathsome to Grendel
    Duration
    00:29
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  6. 6 Interlude: The Fight 04:04
    Track
    6
    Title
    Interlude: The Fight
    Duration
    04:04
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  7. 7 Grendel's Bad Deeds 02:37
    Track
    7
    Title
    Grendel's Bad Deeds
    Duration
    02:37
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  8. 8 Sweet Song 01:19
    Track
    8
    Title
    Sweet Song
    Duration
    01:19
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Elin Manahan Thomas, Anne Denholm
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  9. 9 Unferth's Row 01:49
    Track
    9
    Title
    Unferth's Row
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  10. 10 Refrain - Night Fell on Hrothgar's Hall and One by One All the Warriors Fell Asleep 01:29
    Track
    10
    Title
    Refrain - Night Fell on Hrothgar's Hall and One by One All the Warriors Fell Asleep
    Duration
    01:29
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  11. 11 Grendel-Beowulf Battle 03:33
    Track
    11
    Title
    Grendel-Beowulf Battle
    Duration
    03:33
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  12. 12 When I Was King 04:42
    Track
    12
    Title
    When I Was King
    Duration
    04:42
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  13. 13 Interlude: Triumph 02:35
    Track
    13
    Title
    Interlude: Triumph
    Duration
    02:35
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  14. 14 Rousing Song 01:49
    Track
    14
    Title
    Rousing Song
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  15. 15 Refrain - It was Quite a Party 01:09
    Track
    15
    Title
    Refrain - It was Quite a Party
    Duration
    01:09
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  16. 16 Presentation of Hrunting 01:55
    Track
    16
    Title
    Presentation of Hrunting
    Duration
    01:55
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  17. 17 Grendel's Mother 03:06
    Track
    17
    Title
    Grendel's Mother
    Duration
    03:06
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Elin Manahan Thomas, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  18. 18 Rise Up 03:21
    Track
    18
    Title
    Rise Up
    Duration
    03:21
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Elin Manahan Thomas, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  19. 19 Hrothgar's Sermon 01:57
    Track
    19
    Title
    Hrothgar's Sermon
    Duration
    01:57
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Elin Manahan Thomas, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  20. 20 Interlude: Searching 05:26
    Track
    20
    Title
    Interlude: Searching
    Duration
    05:26
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  21. 21 Chorus of Soldiers 02:34
    Track
    21
    Title
    Chorus of Soldiers
    Duration
    02:34
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Timothy West, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  22. 22 Refrain - So Before We Raid the Dragon's Hoard 01:26
    Track
    22
    Title
    Refrain - So Before We Raid the Dragon's Hoard
    Duration
    01:26
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Elin Manahan Thomas, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  23. 23 My Lord has Gone 03:14
    Track
    23
    Title
    My Lord has Gone
    Duration
    03:14
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Elin Manahan Thomas, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    AC Academy Warwick
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks
  24. 24 Final Chorus 03:24
    Track
    24
    Title
    Final Chorus
    Duration
    03:24
    Composer
    Toby Young
    Performer
    Elin Manahan Thomas, Anne Denholm, Toby Young
    Ensemble
    Warwick Consort Choir, AC Academy Warwick, Armonico Consort
    Conductor
    Christopher Monks