Please note: this CD is no longer available: this page kept for historic record only.
As some will know it was a life-long ambition of George Borrow’s to get his numerous translations published. The majority were published posthumously in 1923–4 with Clement Shorter using a title that Borrow had originally advertised around 1829: Songs of Scandinavia.
John Hentges, who has already produced a number of excellent CD recordings of Borrow’s work, has recently been inspired to put Borrow’s words to music, as indeed all ballads should be, and the result is his latest CD: Elver Shades. John is joined on the CD by Heather Uden, whom Borrovians will remember for the excellent duet they performed at our Chrismas 2014 meal.
The ballads themselves range from the wicked elves of the title track, to the famous Manx miser Mollie Charane. There’s of course a song to ale, and praise to Old England, and the intriguing Lines to Six-Foot Three which our late chairman always said couldn’t be about Borrow, but it doesn’t sound that way!
As the Songs of Scandinavia is quite a rare book John has helpfully provided the complete words to all of the songs in his CD, which comes with a very atmospheric photograph of Dee Lodge, Llangollen on the cover: looking every inch like it’s a place for “Elvir Shades”.
Although Elvir Shades is no longer available, you can obtain a copy of any of John’s other CD’s by following the directions on our John Hentges page.