‘Renewal?’ is a concept album, designed to be listened to from beginning to end, which combines world premiere recordings, include six tracks composed by Smith and three new commissions from Donna McKevitt, with three musical pillars from the 20th Century, by William Walton, John Cage and William Henry Harris.

In the accompanying live performance experience for this album, created for ‘LIVE From London’ in 2021, singers, dancers and players work independently and together, sharing a 3-part story that has an array of possible endings. Audience members are able to choose to experience this concert on a number of levels; perhaps sitting back and simply let the music wash over you, or by taking time to consider the texts before, during and after the performance.

The multifaceted texts by Lal Ded, Edmund Spenser, W.H. Auden, Lord Byron, Pablo Neruda, Maya Angelou and others offer thoughts about our world and about our past, present and future. The concert experience, like the album, allows for the space to absorb, to think, to feel, and to reach different conclusions.

Performers include choral stars such as the ensembles VOCES8 and Apollo5, as well as members of The King’s Singers and I Fagiolini, Barnaby Smith and Paul Smith himself, with cellist Caroline Dale, violist Roger Chase, Westminster Abbey’s sub organist Peter Holder and a percussionist best known for her work with Van Morrison, Teena Lyle.

A VOCES8 Records production