De Standaard Interview (September 17, 2011)

When I was asked by Deutsche Grammophon to do this project, I realized immediately how risky it would be like to mess with the great classics. You have to believe that you are the architect of your songs. You are either a performer who gives life to someone else’s musical cathedrals or a designer. And I have always seen myself more as a composer. I wish to give the classical pieces a new twenty-first century impetus.

Tori discussed Night of Hunters with Cathérine De Cock for the Belgian newspaper De Standaard and the interview was published yesterday. In the piece, they touch on the record itself, Tori’s approach to working with the music of classical masters, working with family and the upcoming 20th anniversary of Little Earthquakes.

The article is in Dutch but our attempt at an English translation is below.

Thanks to @Shireen86 for pointing this article out!

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Billboard Interview (September 17, 2011)

I’ve been very blessed that there are people out there for whom the deal has been, if I don’t sell out and do something that is disgraceful for both me and the listener, that they might give me a shot. That’s the contract we signed with each other. It’s not a casual thing and I’m not casual about it, which is why I think the relationship works.

Billboard published a short inteview with Tori on their website yesterday in which she discusses Night of Hunters, the music industry and, in reference to the upcoming 20th anniversary of Little Earthquakes, plans to record a selection of songs from her back catalog with The Metropole Orkest in 2012 for an upcoming release. As some may recall, this was mentioned in Deutsche Grammophon’s 2011 release book a while back, so it’s good to see that this is still in the works!

Thanks to Joseto for the link!

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The Epoch Times Night of Hunters Review

Mary Keane reviewed Night of Hunters for The Epoch Times. Giving the record a score of 4 on a 5 point scale, she akes issue with the inclusion of Tori’s daughter Tash being featured prevalently on the record but, in conclusion, calls it “a much more coherent and consistent album than the other recent releases.”

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The Daily Express Reviews Night of Hunters

The Daily Express reviewed Night of Hunters in Friday’s edition of that paper. It’s brief and not terribly insightful but a verdict of 5 of 5 stars is always a nice feather to put in your cap!

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Rolling Stone Sits Down With Tori

The German Rolling Stone website has posted a new video interview with Tori. It’s a montage of answers to questions covering topics ranging from Night of Hunters to plans for the upcoming tour. Enjoy!

Thanks to @EarWithFeet for alerting us to this!

The Night of Hunters Electronic Press Kit Surfaces

Earlier today, NME posted what they indicated was a new video interview with Tori but, upon closer inspection, it’s clearly the electronic press kit for Night of Hunters as the same video appeared on various music blogs (such as iLoveMusicPop), sourced from an unlisted YouTube video from Decca Records labelled as such:

Given the that its length is just short of the 16 minutes that Universal Norway indicated was the length of the documentary on the DVD in the deluxe edition of the record, we’re guessing it’s safe to say they’re one and the same. Update: Yep, that’s been confirmed.

Thanks to Josh for catching this!

ABC Limelight Interview (September 14, 2011)

For Deutsche Grammophon to approach me as a woman and say, ‘with our blessing, go mess with the masters, make it great’, was an opportunity to say we’re going to tell a story about a woman, and her psychological process, and we’re going to use the ingredients to form a marriage between male and female as well. I’m taking some of their DNA and making a new being.

In this interview for the Australian arts and entertainment magazine Limelight, Tori chats with Melissa Lesnie about the genesis and inspiration for Night of Hunters, tying together her time at the Peabody, Irish mythology and “the compositions of dead white males.” The article also includes a list of the classical pieces that each song from the album is a variation of.

Thanks to Jill for the link!

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The Guardian Reviews Night of Hunters

Thursday’s edition of The Guardian included a short review of Night of Hunters by Alex Macpherson (whom some may remember as the author of a recent piece praising From The Choirgirl Hotel). Macpherson appreciates the musical content of the album but, expressing concerns with the concept, gives the album 3 stars out of 5.

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World Premier Of Nautical Twilight Video

German women’s magazine Brigitte has posted the premier of the “Nautical Twilight” video on their website along with a short interview. (If anyone can translate the interview into English for us, it would be much appreciated.)

Thanks to choirguy for letting us know.

Tori Appears on BBC Broadcasting House

Yesterday, on the 10th anniversary of September 11th, Tori made an appearance on the BBC Radio 4 program Broadcasting House where she discussed her experience of the events of 9/11, its impact on her work and the Sunday paper headlines with host Kevin Connolly and fellow guests Francesca Simon and Jason Burke (pictured with Tori to the right).

If you missed it when it was on live, you can stream it until next Sunday on the BBC iPlayer. The segment with Tori starts around the 34 minute mark.

While we’re on the subject on 9/11, Tori has contributed “Gold Dust” to the compilation Ten Years On – A Collection of Songs In Remembrance of September 11th 2001. The collection was assembled by Jem in conjunction with The 9/11 Memorial, which will receive 100% of the proceeds from sales of the compilation.

Finally, Scarlet’s Walk garnered some mentions in pieces on musician’s responses to the attacks: a small note in Rich Juzwiak’s reflection for MTV and a much longer examination in Tris McCall’s piece for the Star-Ledger.

Thanks to @FritchleyPaul, MarianneRose, velvet, Jeremy and Ben for help with this article.