The Enid and the CBSO - "an absolute triumph."

Written by Joe Payne | 21 October 2011

Despite some controversy, the milestone show receives high critical acclaim.

"Incomparable, unique and always adventurous, for Robert John Godfrey and The Enid this was an absolute triumph." - The Midland Rocks

"The delivery of Enid songwriter Robert John Godfrey’s songs through a rock band augmented by an orchestra and choir worked brilliantly." - Express and Star

"... the band have indelibly underlined their position as symphonic masters." - Malcolm Dome,  Classic Rock Presents Prog

The band's first outing with a full symphony orchestra was a total success and plans are already afoot for similar shows next year, both in the UK and abroad. The show kicked off with Judgement Day and In The Region Of The Summer Stars (ITROSS), then Childe Roland. For some, the highlight of the evening was RJG's performance of The Lovers, which along with an extremely powerful performance of Fand (both on Risen CD), both receiving a standing ovation.

The second half of the show commenced with a recital by the legendary Alan Moore of his poem the mirror of love which proved unpopular with some members of the audience. See this forum thread for more details. The band were then joined by the CBSO and the Warwickshire County Music Services Youth Choir for a performance of Journey's End that was "..simply breath-taking in its execution. A work of epic proportions it seamlessly ebbs and flows between lush orchestrations and bombastic rock melodies." according to one review.

The show concluded with an emotional rendition of Barclay James Harvest's Mockingbird - with the CBSO playing from Godfrey's original score - and then on to Dambusters and Land Of Hope and Glory.

Live Recording

The concert was recorded by Abbey Road Mobile and engineered by Will Shapland who's recognised as one of the world's finest mobile engineers. The CD has been mixed by Max Read at The Lodge Recording Studio and will be available soon.

A DVD is also in the pipeline. Full details will be sent out to all friends on our mailing list as soon as we have them.

A limited edition of full scores - numbered and signed by RJG - of most of the works performed on the night are now available in our shop here.

The band would like to sincerely thank everybody involved for making the night truly a night to remember.

They are now in the studio working on new material for the 2012 shows and the new album, Invicta.