''Torsten'' is a series of projects by pop singer Andy Bell of the band Erasure consisting of various stage acts performed by him, and accompanying soundtracks, concept albums and remix albums. The series was written by playwright Barney Ashton-Bullock, and music by Christopher Frost. Two major works emerged, ''Torsten the Bareback Saint'' (2014) and ''Torsten the Beautiful Libertine'' (2016) with two accompanying album / soundtracks and two Variance Remix albums.

''Torsten the Bareback Saint''

''Torsten the Bareback Saint'' is a one-person show and

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

written by playwright Barney Ashton-Bullock, and performed by pop singer Andy Bell. The score is composed, orchestrated and arranged by Christopher Frost and produced by Mike Allison. The

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

was Predrag Pajdic. Promotional material for the show describes it as "a set of musical postcards from the hotspots of memory of a semi-immortal

polysexual Sexual identity is how one thinks of oneself in terms of to whom one is romantically and/or sexually attracted.
''Sex ...

". The music is an episodic song-cycle, which Bell performs accompanied by a small

musical ensemble A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

. Bell debuted the show at the 2014

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

, where he performed at Assembly Studio One daily from the 5th through the 16th of August. Prior to the festival, he gave two private performances at the

St. James Theatre The St. James Theatre, originally Erlanger's Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 246 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, it was designed by Warren and Wetmore in a neo-Georgian style a ...

in London. The first of these, on 24 July 2014, was for an invited audience of family and friends; the second, on 26 July, he performed for a small gathering of fans.

Soundtrack album

A studio-recorded

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

was released on 28 July 2014 by Strike Force Entertainment, an imprint of

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

. Two songs were released as singles. "I Don't Like" released on 7 July 2014 and "Fountain of Youth" released on 11 August 2014. On the back cover of the retail CD release, the titles of tracks 1, 8, and 10 are censored: "Freshly", "V for…?", and "Mobile".

''Variance – 'The Torsten the Bareback Saint' Remixes''

Following the release of the soundtrack, a remix album was released in 2015. One single, "Weston-Super-Mare" was released from the remix album in 2015.

''Torsten the Beautiful Libertine''

Following ''Torsten the Bareback Saint'', Andy launched a musical stage show titled ''Torsten the Beautiful Libertine'' at the Above the Stag Theatre in London in March 2016.The Stage: Torsten, the Beautiful Libertine review at Above the Stag, London – ‘awkward’
/ref> It is also written by playwright Barney Ashton-Bullock, with music by Christopher Frost.

Soundtrack album

He also released a 17-track album containing songs written by Barney Ashton-Bullock. It was released on Cherry Red Records. From the press release: "On the album Andy assumes the character of Torsten who has had, over time, many lovers and friends whom ultimately he has outlived. That he himself survives is a bittersweet truth, but it is with an increasingly melancholic emotional distance from people. The album was made available as a download and also in a limited-edition black vinyl and CD format presented in mini-gatefold LP style. It also includes a twenty page booklet of lyrics and new colour photographs. One song was released as a single "My Precious One" on 4 March 2016 Tracklist

''Variance – 'The Torsten the Beautiful Libertine' Remixes''

Like the Torsten the Bareback Saint, the release of Torsten the Beautiful Libertine was followed by a Variance Remix titled ''Variance II''. The remix album was released on 1 July 2016. One more single, "Queercore!" was released from the remix album in 2016. Tracklist Part One - Senseless Symphony Part Two - The Remixes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Torsten the Bareback Saint Plays for one performer Song cycles 2014 soundtrack albums Pop soundtracks Soundtracks by English artists Theatre soundtracks Andy Bell (singer) albums Concept albums