Customer Reviews

Beowulf

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not only is the 7th or 8th-century epic Beowulf the earliest surviving work of English literature, it predates the classics of all modern European languages. Before Beowulf there is only Latin and Greek literature, the writing of late antiquity. The work survived miraculously in a single manuscript, copied in the later middle ages, preserved in a monastic library, dispersed during the Reformation into a private collection, transcribed by an Icelandic scholar, singed in a catastrophic library fire, come to rest in the British Museum -- and never fully appreciated until the critical study by J.R.R. Tolkien!
The Benjamin Bagby website states that his performance is sung in the original Old English, with optional subtitles in Modern English. That will be an excellent way to comprehend the work, much better than listening to the Old English on CD while trying to follow in a pony translation, or listening to the translation on CD while trying to follow the original in print.
Bagby revives the text as well by accompanying it with a medieval string instrument. I don't know of any recording of BEOWULF that has tried this, although I have a CD set of EL CID from Spain that takes another (not nearly as early) medieval text and intones it. The singing should slow down the performance, but the announced running time of 132 minutes compares to Trevor Eaton's impeccable 145-minute reading in Old English on Pearl CD, or to Nobel Laureate Seamus Heany's 135-minute reading of his wonderful translation into Modern English, for HighBridge.
Tolkien, who sang a recording of some of his own Elfish poems, would have been immensely pleased with Bagby's accomplishment.

Benjamin Bagby performs this adventure with gusto and awesome stage presence both singing and narrating--more like heralding--in Anglo-Saxon (Old English) this majestic masterpiece. His resonant voice, modulating now high, now low; now loud, now soft; his dramatic emphasis, his gestures, the inner joy written on his face as he weaves this captivating tale are absolutely enthralling.

In my mind's eye I see we are transported back in time and circumstance to some rustic Germanic mead hall on a long, deep winter's night with the icy wind howling outside, a reminder how close danger and death are in this dark Urworld. We relax around the fire just after the victory feast adjusting our swords and chain mail, with the women and children at our sides and with ram's horns full of frothy brew and listen to the bard celebrate courage, bravery and sacrifice.

A spectacular glimpse into the beginnings of the English language!

The voice of Benjamin Bagby, his masterful way to play the Anglosaxon harp and his ability to tell, will transport you to an age that, if it would not have been historic, would seem a dream about ancient gods, dragons, heroes, damsels and sacrifices: an age before time, when kings battled against horrid demons and great heroes were defeated without mercy in a narrative that still combined old Norse mythology with Christian teachings. If you have never heard before about Beowulf, the oldest extant poem of Old English, or if you are a student devoted to learning the foresteps of English, please buy this DVD and enjoy, learn and let it take you to an age that existed more than one thousand years ago.

Much of the action in Beowulf occurs in the mead hall, directly- as in the battle with Grendel, the flyting of Unferth, and the celebratory feast after Grendel's demise, or indirectly- as the scop with his hearpe (lyre) tells the stories of olden times and hero's past.

The ritual feasting in the old germanic north (Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and contenantal germanic)was centered both in the halls of the war bands and in the rectories of the monastic orders. The oral performance aspect was inherent in both for the transmission of history, geneology and instruction in the values of the group (by both positive and negative illustration)as well as general entertainment. Literacy was the almost exclusive domain of the monastic orders (with the exception of rune masters who recorded charms, territorial and memorial monument and little else.) It was the monks who wrote down what they could of the oral performances. Thus, they were both preserved and sterilized.

What did the old mead hall performances sound like? I have listened to recitals of Beowulf and others in both Old English and New English both live and recordings. And while I like the sound of Trevor Eaton's and J.B.Bessinger's reading the old english, and especially Seamus Heaney's reading in new english, I find that after a couple of beers, the meaduselle blurs and I begin to nod off. I have a hard time imagining a band of warriors, high born ladies and monks holding attention to a sing-song metrical recitation devoid of dramatic and dynamic effect. Story tellers of all cultures are adept at capturing their audience. Benjamin Bagby has done his homework and paid his dues! I find his performance more satisfying than all the bad movies done on the Beowulf theme, and feel that this, indeed , could hold the attention of feasting warriors.

The only draw back is that this is only about a third of the whole poem. It seems possible that even from the early history it was performed in two or three sections on separate days. The serial and episodic structure of the epic certainly would support this assumption. Nevertheless, it was money and two hours of time well spent and I look forward to the next installments of two hours or so at the honored feasting seat.

I've just discovered that Benjamin Bagby's recitation of Beowulf, which I've heard live several times, is available on DVD. Bagby's performance in person is compelling and magical, the closest I've ever come to the "souls" of my Nordic ancestors in music. I can't review the DVD yet. I've just ordered it, and I'll have more to say when I've watched it. The five stars are for Bagby's recreation of the "scop's" performance. If you don't know Bagby's work with his ensemble Sequentia, consider this a serious heads-up!

Later, after watching: No disappointment! In fact,the ability to watch the subtitles comes as a very great bonus, but even listening without them, I find it easier to catch some of the poem than I do when I try to read it. Bagby's pronunciation is very Scandinavian, which I approve; his choice is based on scholarship, while mine is simple Swedish nationalism. Bagby is an intense man in person, but no warrior. In performance, with his resonantly masculine voice, he becomes one. There he sits, with a simple blue curtain backdrop, and holds his live audience spellbound. Spellbound? What an appropriate English word for the effct of the 'scop' entertaining the viking thanes in their mead hall.
So... Does a solo recital of unintelligible poetry accompanied by a seven-string harp have entertainment value? Yes, it does!

I teach World Literature I to freshman/sophomore college students. This video shows them the power of the ancient bard/scop. The verbal duel between Unferth and Beowulf is amazing, and I can only describe the mourning wail after Grendel's first attack on Heorot as "haunting."

Bagby does an incredible job, and if he ever performs this close to Oklahoma, I'm there.

I highly recommend this not only to Beowulf lovers but also to teachers.

This is a wonderful performance of Beowulf in Anglo Saxon. If you haven't read Beowulf and something about the period, I wouldn't suggest this. If you read it and like it, then you will find this fascinating.

My only complaint is the the only subtitles are in English. I wish that they had included subtitles in Anglo Saxon as well. I saw Mr. Bagby do part of this in person, and they had 2 TV screens, one in English and one in Anglo Saxon.

Benjamin Bagby's performance on stage of the first third of Beowulf is magnificent! It goes through Beowulf's killing of Grendal, but does not include Grendal's mother or the dragon. We don't know how Beowulf was sung but Bagby does a very careful job of imagining and recreating how the early bards, or scops, would have performed it, even recreating an Anglo-Saxon harp from archeological remains. He captures the excitement of the tale. Sometimes he sings, sometimes he speaks and sometimes it is something in between - all very expressively. He sings in Old English with modern English subtitles. Others have tried to do this and ended up sounding like 1950's American folk singers. Bagby is as close as we will get to the real thing. It is the only DVD, when I first watched it, that I have ever immediately played again. I just couldn't get enough. I think we all should ask Bagby to do another DVD in which he finishes the story, although I should add that it is very satisfying as it is.

You'd think that watching 98 minutes worth of a guy sitting in a chair and speaking a language that you can't understand would lose the viewer's interest in about 5 minutes...with this movie, it's just not happening.

Bagby's voice is powerful, emotive, and varied. His facial expressions tell the story just as well as the subtitles, if not better, and his harp melodies are gorgeous. The bonus interviews give good insight into the origins of this performance and the incredible amount of work that must have gone into creating such a deceptively simple show.

I've watched this movie three times in the week since I've had it, and it still has my attention. This is an undeniably powerful performance, and one that no theater fan should be without.

This degree is written by someone who studies English literature and whose favorite work was Beowulf.

This project is awesome! Benjamin Bagby, a master of ancient music, recreates a medieval performance, in Old English and with a musical instrument recreated by using the remnants found in a viking funeral boat! The wood is the same, and the strings are made of REAL gut, nothing sinthetic.

With no records about performances older than a millenia, this is trully reincarnated art.

If you like ancient music, literature, and/or poetry, you can't miss this one!