{"title":"Home page","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"riddle-songs-limited-edition-signed-copy","title":"Riddle Songs, limited edition SIGNED CD","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #751d4e;\"\u003eOne of only 100 signed copies of Riddle Songs, signed, hand-packaged, and sent (along with a personal thank you note) by Stef!\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is an album of new music with very old words\u003c\/strong\u003e -- a concept album with a difference: a personal vision of a world just out of reach. Its music and its stories, its seasons and its creatures are addressed or conjured up in hymns, spells, and that most Anglo-Saxon of poetic forms – the riddle. Conner’s settings draw on English folksong, medieval music scholarship and a range of unlikelier inspirations to make something entirely her own. In around half the tracks she duets with early-music specialist Hanna Marti, both of them thrillingly poised between creation and rediscovery. In between come impressive choral set-pieces, while elsewhere Conner is alone, accompanying herself on a strummed lyre. At the album’s heart is an intimate communion with our ideas of the past, of distance and of nearness, of knowledge and enduring mystery.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNo songs in Old English have survived from the period in which the language was originally used. And yet what does survive of Anglo-Saxon culture – preserved in written texts or unearthed by archaeologists – presents a compelling, if tantalisingly incomplete, picture of a society in which the creative impulse was central. For singer and composer \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.delphianrecords.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Stef%20Conner*\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/www.delphianrecords.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Stef%20Conner*\"\u003eStef Conner\u003c\/a\u003e, this incompleteness is a challenge … to feats of imaginative daring which are also acts of informed historical sympathy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"shg-c-lg-3 shg-c-md-3 shg-c-sm-3 shg-c-xs-12\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"shg-c shogun-image-container shg-align-center\" id=\"s-8904c254-e723-4513-af94-4ccba3161c2f\" data-animations=\"\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/i.shgcdn.com\/9dacab89-3722-47ee-b9cb-1b4a49be5358\/-\/format\/auto\/-\/preview\/3000x3000\/-\/quality\/lighter\/\" width=\"62\" height=\"87\" class=\"shogun-image\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" style=\"margin-bottom: 16px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"shg-c-lg-5 shg-c-md-5 shg-c-sm-5 shg-c-xs-12\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"s-40b45dd1-3141-4810-94ed-6379a589288f\" class=\"shg-c\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"shg-rich-text shg-theme-text-content\" data-animations=\"\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e          MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL         \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e          Recording of the Month\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“beautifully dissonant choral harmonies. . .”\u003cbr\u003e“an appealingly imaginative listening experience.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGramophone\u003c\/strong\u003e, March 2021 (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.gramophone.co.uk\/review\/conner-riddle-songs\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“. . .this mesmerising album . . . is the perfect companion for a long winter’s evening, and springs surprises at every turn.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePresto Classical\u003c\/strong\u003e, October 2020 (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.prestomusic.com\/classical\/products\/8820598--stef-conner-riddle-songs#reviews\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Five Rune Poems act as a bitingly primitive framework to a wider array of settings, some like Seed Spell implying a kind of medieval pop song, others such as Fire and Sky Lights using wraparound dissonance to enhance their mystical enchantment.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Scotsman\u003c\/strong\u003e, November 2020 (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.scotsman.com\/whats-on\/arts-and-entertainment\/album-reviews-kylie-ariana-grande-gorillaz-bathers-3020484\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eRiddle Songs\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a delight. It’s as novel and refreshing as the texts are ancient and enchanting. Performances and sound are exemplary.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMusicWeb International\u003c\/strong\u003e, December 2020 (\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.musicweb-international.com\/classrev\/2020\/Dec\/Conner-riddle-DCD34227.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stef Conner's Song Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47244916359506,"sku":"","price":32.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/6468\/7186\/files\/RiddleSongsphysicalCD_837245fd-8809-4160-9ce6-d6d8d46209a2.jpg?v=1707072318"},{"product_id":"riddle-songs","title":"Riddle Songs, CD","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is an album of new music with very old words\u003c\/strong\u003e -- a concept album with a difference: a personal vision of a world just out of reach. Its music and its stories, its seasons and its creatures are addressed or conjured up in hymns, spells, and that most Anglo-Saxon of poetic forms – the riddle. Conner’s settings draw on English folksong, medieval music scholarship and a range of unlikelier inspirations to make something entirely her own. In around half the tracks she duets with early-music specialist Hanna Marti, both of them thrillingly poised between creation and rediscovery. In between come impressive choral set-pieces, while elsewhere Conner is alone, accompanying herself on a strummed lyre. At the album’s heart is an intimate communion with our ideas of the past, of distance and of nearness, of knowledge and enduring mystery.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNo songs in Old English have survived from the period in which the language was originally used. And yet what does survive of Anglo-Saxon culture – preserved in written texts or unearthed by archaeologists – presents a compelling, if tantalisingly incomplete, picture of a society in which the creative impulse was central. For singer and composer \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.delphianrecords.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Stef%20Conner*\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-href=\"https:\/\/www.delphianrecords.com\/search?type=product\u0026amp;q=Stef%20Conner*\"\u003eStef Conner\u003c\/a\u003e, this incompleteness is a challenge … to feats of imaginative daring which are also acts of informed historical sympathy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"shg-c-lg-3 shg-c-md-3 shg-c-sm-3 shg-c-xs-12\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-animations=\"\" id=\"s-8904c254-e723-4513-af94-4ccba3161c2f\" class=\"shg-c shogun-image-container shg-align-center\" style=\"text-align: left;\"\u003e\u003cimg loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"shogun-image\" height=\"108\" width=\"77\" src=\"https:\/\/i.shgcdn.com\/9dacab89-3722-47ee-b9cb-1b4a49be5358\/-\/format\/auto\/-\/preview\/3000x3000\/-\/quality\/lighter\/\" style=\"margin-bottom: 16px; float: left;\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"shg-c-lg-5 shg-c-md-5 shg-c-sm-5 shg-c-xs-12\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"shg-c\" id=\"s-40b45dd1-3141-4810-94ed-6379a589288f\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-animations=\"\" class=\"shg-rich-text shg-theme-text-content\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e          MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL         \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003e          Recording of the Month\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“beautifully dissonant choral harmonies. . .”\u003cbr\u003e“an appealingly imaginative listening experience.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGramophone\u003c\/strong\u003e, March 2021 (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.gramophone.co.uk\/review\/conner-riddle-songs\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“. . .this mesmerising album . . . is the perfect companion for a long winter’s evening, and springs surprises at every turn.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePresto Classical\u003c\/strong\u003e, October 2020 (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.prestomusic.com\/classical\/products\/8820598--stef-conner-riddle-songs#reviews\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Five Rune Poems act as a bitingly primitive framework to a wider array of settings, some like Seed Spell implying a kind of medieval pop song, others such as Fire and Sky Lights using wraparound dissonance to enhance their mystical enchantment.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Scotsman\u003c\/strong\u003e, November 2020 (\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.scotsman.com\/whats-on\/arts-and-entertainment\/album-reviews-kylie-ariana-grande-gorillaz-bathers-3020484\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eRiddle Songs\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a delight. It’s as novel and refreshing as the texts are ancient and enchanting. Performances and sound are exemplary.” –\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMusicWeb International\u003c\/strong\u003e, December 2020 (\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.musicweb-international.com\/classrev\/2020\/Dec\/Conner-riddle-DCD34227.htm\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eread the full review\u003c\/a\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stef Conner's Song Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47618504196434,"sku":"","price":17.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/6468\/7186\/files\/RiddleSongsphysicalCD.jpg?v=1707071936"},{"product_id":"hord-songs-ep","title":"Hord Songs, CD","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHord Songs is a vocal and electronic soundscape by Stef Conner, exploring themes of exile, isolation, alienation, and belonging in Old English riddles and elegies. Inspired by the Staffordshire Hoard and premiered at the Hoard exhibit at the potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent (2013), the music weaves an atmospheric web of ancient poetry, haunting melodies, rich harmonic fields, atmospheric soundscapes, and swirling clouds of whispered words. Texts are heard in both Old and Modern English.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe physical CD comes with a free digital version, sent separately by email.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stef Conner's Song Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47618637889874,"sku":"","price":12.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/6468\/7186\/files\/HordSongsphysicalCD.jpg?v=1707073847"},{"product_id":"hord-songs-limited-edition-signed-copy","title":"Hord Songs, limited edition SIGNED CD","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOne of only 10 limited edition copies signed, hand-packaged, and sent (with a personal thank you note) by Stef. Also comes with a free digital version.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHord Songs is a vocal and electronic soundscape by Stef Conner, exploring themes of exile, isolation, alienation, and belonging in Old English riddles and elegies. Inspired by the Staffordshire Hoard and premiered at the Hoard exhibit at the potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent (2013), the music weaves an atmospheric web of ancient poetry, haunting melodies, rich harmonic fields, atmospheric soundscapes, and swirling clouds of whispered words. Texts are heard in both Old and Modern English.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stef Conner's Song Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47618641264978,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/6468\/7186\/files\/HordSongsphysicalCD_01be2172-833f-43f0-8ee8-a0df1503882c.jpg?v=1707073981"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.stefconner.com\/collections\/frontpage.oembed","provider":"Stef Conner's Song Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}