Our complete demo recording of Paul Corfield Godfrey's Epic Scenes from The Silmarillion after the mythology of J. R. R. Tolkien, Part One: Feanor.
Stock of individual parts of The Silmarillion are low, if this item is out of stock then it will still be available as part of the Complete Silmarillion Box Set.
Prima Facie Records is pleased to announce the release of Feanor (complete demo recording) PFCD178/179
FEANOR
The completion in 1996 of the “epic scenes from The Silmarillion”, a four-part cycle drawn from the posthumous writings of J R R Tolkien, constituted the largest-scale work of classical music written in Wales in the twentieth century. With this landmark release of Fëanor, following on from their earlier successful issues of Beren and Lúthien, The Children of Húrin and The Fall of Gondolin, Prima Facie in collaboration with Volante Opera Productions now completes the recording of that original cycle; and a further episode, The War of Wrath, written in 2019-21, is to follow in due course. All of these works employ a variety of posthumously published texts by the author with the permission of the Tolkien Estate. As before, the singers are all professional artists from Welsh National Opera; the booklet explains the methods of production in greater detail, and also includes an essay by the composer on the manner in which the author’s text has been adapted for music. The late Brian Wilson, reviewing The Children of Húrin for MusicWeb International, drew comparisons between the “genuinely epic” music of the cycle and that of Sibelius, Hildegard of Bingen, Vaughan Williams, Holst and Wagner: “It’s a very different ending from that of Götterdämmerung, but it’s worthy of mention in the same sentence – and there’s not much that is, in my book.”
Melkor (later Morgoth), the enemy (Bass): Laurence Cole
Fingolfin, son of King Finwe (Baritone): Philip Lloyd-Evans
Feanor, son of King Finwe (Tenor): Simon Crosby Buttle
Mandos, Lord of the Realm of Death (Baritone): Julian Boyce
Elbereth, Queen of Light and spouse of the Elder King (Soprano): Emma Mary Llewellyn
The Elder King, Lord of the Valar in Middle Earth (Bass): George Newton-Fitzgerald
Maedhros, son of Feanor (Baritone): Stephen Wells
Maglor, son of Feanor (Tenor): Michael Clifton-Thompson
Celegorm, son of Feanor (Baritone): Philip Lloyd-Evans
Curufin, son of Feanor (Baritone): Julian Boyce
Caranthir, son of Feanor (Bass): George Newton-Fitzgerald
Amrod, son of Feanor (Bass): Laurence Cole
Amras, son of Feanor (Bass): Jasey Hall
Olwe, King of the Teleri in the Blessed Realm (Tenor): Michael Clifton-Thompson
Chorus of unseen voices:
Emma Mary Llewellyn/Paula Greenwood/Sophie Yelland/Helen Greenaway
Michael Clifton -Thompson/Simon Crosby Buttle/Julian Boyce/Jasey Hall