Paul Corfield Godfrey has previously released albums based on The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings, and his works are already familiar to the Tolkien community.

The CD is mostly based around Tolkien’s posthumous publication The Silmarillion, and features lyrics from The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. Having been granted permission from the Estate to use Tolkien’s works as lyrics, the album is a substantial collection of new music in the Welsh tonal tradition. Prima Facie Records say:

Many of the works on this CD are associated with The Silmarillion. Daeron Op. 45, for flute and piano, was written after Godfrey’s cycle The Silmarillion. It describes the lonely wanderings of Daeron in search of his beloved Lúthien. Tolkien Songs Op. 9 mostly set lyrics from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, but the final song is a setting of a poem from the last chapter of The Hobbit. Shadow-Bride Op. 33 is written for soprano, piano and viola, and is a setting of a verse from The Adventures of Tom Bombadil. It is connected to a legend in The Silmarillion, in which a woman is trapped in union with a possessive lover. The solo piano work, Akallabêth, is a symphonic poem in rondo form, based on the story of the doomed kingdom of Númenor in The Silmarillion. The song cycle Mysteries of Time Op. 44 involves tenor, baritone and soprano voices, and sets poetry by Ralph Hodgson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Allison Reynolds, William Butler Yeats and Poul Anderson. All touch upon the inspiration that poets draw from the natural and mythical world.

The track listing is as follows:

1. Daeron, Op. 45
2. Strider
3. Song Of The Eagle
4. Alive Without Breath
5. Drinking Song
6. In Western Lands
7. Roads Go Ever Ever On
8. Shadow-Bride, Op. 33
9. The Mystery
10. Cywydd
11. Graveyard
12. The Seven Woods Of Coole
13. The Queen Of Air And Darkness
14. Akallabêth, Op. 42

The album was released by Prima Facie Records on 9^th June 2017. You can listen to samples of the music on their website.

About the Author: Shaun Gunner

Shaun is the Chair of The Tolkien Society. First elected in 2013, Shaun has overseen the Society's expansion from 600 to 3,500 members. Shaun regularly speaks about adaptations of Tolkien's works and the future of Tolkien scholarship whilst passionately believing the Society needs to reach out to new audiences. In his spare time he can be found playing video games and Lego, or on Twitter. He chaired another charity, Mankind, and is a local councillor.