Various - The Food of Love Project

  by Nicky Crewe

published: 26 / 11 / 2016

Label: Autolycus
Format: CD

intro

Outstanding compilation of contemporary recordings of Shakespearean and other Elizabethan age songs by various folk and experimental artists released to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare this year

I was intrigued by this collection of songs, not least because I once sang one of them in a surreal staff and students’ production of 'Hamlet', when I was teaching English in Casablanca. As an English Literature graduate I thought I might recognise a few. I’m familiar with some of the artists and enjoy their work. I’m also old enough to remember Tommy Steele as Feste in the 1969 TV production of 'Twelfth Night', and who could forget Peter Sellers' version of 'A Hard Day’s Night', channelling 'Richard III'. I was ready to listen with both experience and an open mind. Nothing could have prepared me for how contemporary these renditions sound, at the same time as making wonderful use of traditional words and tunes. The project was curated and commissioned by Sebastian Reynolds of Pindrop Publicity and Tom McDonnell of TMD Media to mark the Oxford Shakespeare Jubilee 2016. It’s the 400th anniversary of his death this year. The album is dedicated to John Renbourn, who had planned to be part of the recordings before his passing in 2015. His desire to be involved gives you some idea of the calibre of the project. The Dead Rat Orchestra’s version of 'Bonnie Sweet Robin to the Greenwood is Gone', from 'Hamlet' is full of the atmosphere. Their psychedelic, improvised, avant folk approach to music making suits this song perfectly, associated as it is with Ophelia’s descent into madness. Many of the artists featured are from the Oxford music scene, exploring and experimenting with sounds, instruments and traditional material in their other work. Drone and psychedelic effects create an otherworldly mood for much of the music, making it both contemporary and timeless. Brickwork Lizards’ version of 'Fortune My Foe' from 'The Merry Wives of Windsor' is a great example. James Bell, who gives us 'Tom o’ Bedlam' from 'King Lear' has been adapting English traditional music for a decade or more. Kirsty Law has been doing the same with Scottish music. There are more experimental pieces too. Thomas Truax’s version of 'Greensleeves' is like you have never heard it before. He’s an American songwriter and inventor of experimental musical instruments. The combination of experimental and electronic instrumentation and production with traditional melodies works well throughout. Alasdair Roberts and Gordon Ferries bring their more traditional approach to 'Caleno Custure Me', with Ferries’ baroque guitar and Alasdair’s distinctive Scottish voice. 'O Death, Rock Me Asleep' is said to have been written by Anne Boleyn, while she was imprisoned in the Tower. Seb Reynolds and Tom McDonnell as the Children of the Midnight Chimes have created a chilling and surreal choral sound that takes you to the heart of the song. You might be attracted to the collection by its Shakespearean connection as I was. On the other hand, that might make you think it wasn’t for you. It’s a fascinating project. The artists and curators have created an alchemy that resonates with Shakespeare’s Elizabethan era bringing it into the current Elizabethan age with contemporary and experimental folk music in its most interesting forms. It’s traditional, but not as we know it. And the quote is from Twelfth Night, Act 1, Scene 1. "If music be the food of love, play on."

Track Listing:-