BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/Brabbins & Charles Styles

Beowulf and Job: two tales of courage, defiance and the triumph of the human spirit, retold in music by Iain Bell and Ralph Vaughan Williams, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

'Now with Grendel, that monstrous beast / With my grip I shall grapple, foe against foe!' In the mists of the dark ages, the warrior Beowulf prepares to battle a bloodthirsty monster. And in a tale from the Old Testament, Job faces the torments of hell, armed only with an unshakable faith. Humanity can defy all odds, and these two ancient tales have inspired music of elemental power.

Indeed, Vaughan Williams’ ballet Job is one of the most original masterpieces of 20th-century British music – bold, strange and charged with the elemental power of the William Blake drawings that inspired it. But first, experience the epic drama of Beowulf, in a thrilling new choral retelling from one of the 21st century’s most compelling musical dramatists, narrated by award-winning actor Ruth Wilson and with soloist Charles Styles.

This performance will end at approximately 9.30pm, including a 20-minute interval

Produced by BBC Symphony Orchestra

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