Night of Hunters

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox album | name = Night of Hunters | type = studio | artist = [[Tori Amos]] | cover = NightofHuntersAlbumCover.jpg | alt = | released = September 16, 2011 | recorded = | studio = Martian Engineering <br> [[Cornwall]] | genre = [[Classical crossover]]<ref name="AllMusic" /> | length = 71:38 | language = English | label = [[Deutsche Grammophon]] | producer = [[Tori Amos]] | prev_title = [[Midwinter Graces]] | prev_year = 2009 | next_title = [[Gold Dust (Tori Amos album)|Gold Dust]] | next_year = 2012 | misc = {{Singles | name = Night of Hunters | type = studio | single1 = [[Carry (song)|Carry]] | single1date = August 18, 2011 }} }}

'''''Night of Hunters''''' is the twelfth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist [[Tori Amos]], released on September 20, 2011, in the United States through [[Deutsche Grammophon]].<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Night-Hunters-Tori-Amos/dp/B0051ZH8RW/ Amazon.com: ''Night of Hunters'': Tori Amos: Music]</ref> It is a [[concept album]] that Amos has described as "a 21st century [[song cycle]] inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years."<ref name="ToriAmos.com">{{cite web | title = New Tori Album and Tour | url =http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=1a5dbd36b0dd8bf78dddd16a0&id=c6cecb5695|date=May 4, 2011|access-date=May 5, 2011 }}</ref> She pays tribute to classical composers such as [[Charles-Valentin Alkan|Alkan]], [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]], [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]], [[Enrique Granados|Granados]], [[Erik Satie|Satie]] and [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]],<ref>{{cite web| title =Tori Amos ''Night of Hunters'' Released 26 September| publisher =AltSounds.com| url =http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/132434-tori-amos-night-hunters-released-26th-september.html| archive-url =https://archive.today/20120524182832/http://hangout.altsounds.com/news/132434-tori-amos-night-hunters-released-26th-september.html| url-status =dead| archive-date =May 24, 2012| date =August 2, 2011| access-date =August 6, 2011}}</ref> taking inspiration from their original [[Musical composition|compositions]] to create new, independent songs. Regarding the album's concept, she has described it as the exploration of "the hunter and the hunted and how both exist within us" through the story of "a woman who finds herself in the dying embers of a relationship."<ref name="ToriAmos.com" />

''Night of Hunters'' is Amos's first studio album recorded using only [[acoustic music|acoustic]] instruments, relying solely on her vocals and classically trained piano skills, along with a variety of [[accompaniment|accompanying]] [[bowed string instrument|string]] and woodwind instruments, to create its classical sound.<ref name="Girlie">{{cite web| title =Tori Amos' Official Marketing Team| publisher =Girlie Action Media, Marketing & Management| url =http://www.girlieaction.com/client.php?id=26| date =May 5, 2011| access-date =August 2, 2011| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110921025750/http://www.girlieaction.com/client.php?id=26| archive-date =September 21, 2011| url-status =dead}}</ref> Additionally, to record this album Amos broke a nearly 15-year-long collaboration with her studio and touring bandmates, choosing to work with a variety of new musicians, including the [[Berlin Philharmonic]]'s principal clarinetist, [[Andreas Ottensamer]], and the award-winning [[string quartet]], [[list of string quartet ensembles|Apollon Musagète]], while enlisting her daughter, Natashya Hawley, and niece, Kelsey Dobyns, as guest vocalists. ''Night of Hunters'' also marks the twentieth anniversary of her long-time collaboration with [[John Philip Shenale]], who has contributed arrangements to most of her albums, beginning with her solo debut, ''[[Little Earthquakes]]'' (1992).

The album is Amos's first release on a classical music label. Like her previous releases, it is available in both standard and deluxe CD formats, digital format, as well as limited edition vinyl. Amos also released an entirely instrumental version of the album entitled ''Night of Hunters – Sin Palabras'' (without words) available only to download.

The main promotional single released from the album is "[[Carry (song)|Carry]]", a variation on ''[[La fille aux cheveux de lin]]'' by [[Claude Debussy|Debussy]].

== Background == In an interview with [[Out (magazine)|''Out'' magazine]], Amos revealed that work on ''Night of Hunters'' began after [[Deutsche Grammophon]] approached her to write a 21st Century song cycle under the condition that it be centered around classical music themes. She also suggested that her work on the upcoming musical, ''[[The Light Princess (musical)|The Light Princess]]'', sharpened her narrative skills for the project.<ref name="ToriOut">{{cite web|last=Michelson|first=Noah|title=Catching Up with Tori Amos|work=[[Out Magazine]]|url=http://www.out.com/detail.asp?page=1&id=31598|date=August 11, 2011|access-date=August 11, 2011}}</ref> In the official electronic press kit released for the album, Amos spoke of listening to and being inspired by the music of [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]] and of how she was "taken by the idea of an [[octet (music)|octet]]" for this project, stating that she found it appealing that other instruments could serve as the voices of various characters throughout the story while not overpowering the piano as the central instrument of the piece.<ref name="NightofHuntersEPK">{{cite web | title = ''Night of Hunters'' EPK | publisher = [[Deutsche Grammophon]]| url =http://www.deccarecords.com/artist/media/mediaplayer.aspx?meid=1624&aid=32894|date=August 25, 2011|access-date=August 26, 2011}}</ref> In an interview with Marcel Anders, journalist for ''The Interview People'', Amos credited Dr. Alexander Buhr, executive producer for Deutsche Grammophon, with providing her with a wealth of knowledge on the great composers of the last four-hundred years and with recordings of some of their best compositions. Amos pointed out that it was Dr. Buhr who initially approached and offered her the opportunity to headline this project. During this interview, Amos also cited [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s ''[[Winterreise]]'' as "a mentor in many ways"{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} while composing ''Night of Hunters''.

=== Concept === According to Amos, the concept centers on a woman who is left alone on the eve of her relationship's demise in an old [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] house near the [[River Bandon]], located on the outskirts of [[Kinsale]], County Cork in Ireland. As dusk turns to night, the woman is confronted by Anabelle, a [[shapeshifting]] "childlike creature" who "emerges from nature", played by Amos's daughter. The mythical creature, representing "duality", as well as the ancient forces of "the hunter" and "the hunted", coaxes the woman to follow her into the night, transporting them both approximately three-thousand years into the past to witness a previous incarnation of the woman's relationship. It was a time of great chaos and violence in ancient Ireland as a war of beliefs raged on, and the woman and her lover fought side-by-side as [[bard]]s, using the [[Ogham|ancient tree alphabet]] as their only weapon. Once the war was lost, however, the woman and her lover crossed the Atlantic on his sailboat, abandoning her world, the [[New World]], in favor of his world, the [[Old World]]. It was during this time that forces, both within and outside of their control, drew the couple apart. After their sojourn into the past, Anabelle inducts the woman in an ancient [[peyote]] ritual which is meant to further expand her consciousness through both [[hallucinogen]]ic and [[meditation|meditative]] means. During the ritual, Anabelle helps the woman realize how she abandoned her own fire and inner-strength when she left her world in favor of her lover's. The woman also sees how both she and her former lover interchangeably misused the ancient forces of "the hunter" and "the hunted" against one another throughout the course of their union. This self-destructive dynamic, in turn, also plagued the present-day incarnation of their relationship. Once the ritual and woman's self-examination are complete, Anabelle reminds her of the perils and benefits found in using and misusing the ancient energies of "the hunter" and "the hunted". The creature also advises the woman that there are "forces" at work that must be dealt with and that she must leave her so that she alone may face the [[Muse|Fire Muse]], played by Amos's niece Kelsey Dobyns. In meeting the mythical goddess, the woman is allowed to recapture the fire and inner-strength she had abandoned, both in her past and present incarnations, and is taught about the "light" and "dark" forces of the world at large. The Fire Muse reminds the woman that more than just her own mortal pains and desires are of concern and, together, as the fiery goddess calls upon the woman to see the world from a higher perspective, they weave a spell to protect the light of the world from the forces of darkness. The woman ends her journey at dawn, renewed and grateful for her place in the world and for all of the people that have inhabited her life, including her former lover.

In an interview with ''[[Instinct (magazine)|Instinct]]'', Amos spoke of relating "to both the male and female in this story,"{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} while during her interview with ''The Interview People'', she stressed that the themes tackled on the record are dualistic in nature for her, whereby they are somewhat telling of both "intimate conflict[s]" within her own marriage along with the "greater problem[s]" of the world today.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} Amos revealed that the album is "a compilation of experiences Mark and I have had for over sixteen years. We're still together, knock on wood. And we work together and we play together. And we're trying to be parents together. And it's difficult sometimes when you have to be the grown-ups."{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} "I understand the man and the woman [on this album] very well," she continued. "It's not a play by play of me and husband, but there is a bit of us in there."{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} In regards to the universal aspect of the record, Amos concluded, "As the story progresses, the protagonist begins to see that there [are] greater problem[s] in the world. And they have to deal with their world. Not just another person in their world, but their relationship to the world itself."{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

== Promotion and touring == Promotion for ''Night of Hunters'' kicked off on August 18, 2011, when Amos and Deutsche Grammophon debuted a video for the song [[Carry (song)|Carry]] along with an audio stream of the song "Shattering Sea" on Facebook.<ref>{{cite web | title = Watch Carry Video, Listen To Shattering Sea | publisher = Undented.com| url =http://undented.com/news/2446/watch-carry-video-listen-to-shattering-sea|date=August 14, 2011|access-date=September 15, 2011}}</ref> On September 12, 2011, [[NPR]] featured the first authorized full audio stream of ''Night of Hunters'', accompanied by a review of the album by music journalist [[Ann Powers]], co-author of Amos's biography, ''[[Piece by Piece (book)|Piece by Piece]]'' (2005).<ref>{{cite web | title = Complete Stream of NOH on NPR | publisher = Undented.com| url =http://undented.com/news/2487/first-listen-complete-stream-of-night-of-hunters-on-npr|date=September 12, 2011|access-date=September 15, 2011}}</ref>

To promote the album, Amos embarked on the [[Night of Hunters Tour]] supported by the Apollon Musagète,<ref>[http://www.apollon-musagete.com Apollon Musagète Quartett – The Official Website]</ref> making it her first tour with a [[string quartet]]. Amos launched the tour in Europe on September 28, 2011, in Helsinki, finishing in Dublin on November 9, 2011. This was followed by a tour in North America that began on November 29, 2011, in Atlanta, Georgia, and ended on December 22, 2011, in [[Grand Prairie, Texas]]. Prior to the tour, Amos has revealed that [[John Philip Shenale]] was rearranging various songs from her catalogue to accommodate the string quartet.<ref name="ToriOut" />

== Critical reception ==

{{Album reviews | title = | subtitle = | state = | MC = (70/100)<ref name="meta">Based upon 22 reviews according to [[Metacritic]]<br />{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/night-of-hunters/tori-amos/critic-reviews|title=Critic Reviews for Night of Hunters|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=September 23, 2011}}</ref> | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="AllMusic" /> | rev2 = ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' |rev2Score = B+<ref name="AVClub" /> | rev3 = ''[[Daily Express]]'' |rev3Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="DailyExpress">{{cite web|last=Gage|first=Simon|title=CD review – Tori Amos: Night of Hunters (Deutsche Grammophon)|work=[[Daily Express]]|url=http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/271638/CD-review-Tori-Amos-Night-of-Hunters-Deutsche-Grammophon-|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 15, 2011}}</ref> | rev4 = [[Drowned in Sound]] |rev4Score = (7/10)<ref name="DrownedInSound" /> | rev5 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' |rev5Score = B<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Maerz | first = Melissa | title = Albums: Sept. 30, 2011 (Tori Amos, ''Night of Hunters'') | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | url = https://ew.com/article/2011/09/23/albums-sept-30-2011/ | date = September 30, 2011 | access-date = September 30, 2011 | archive-date = April 24, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120424142408/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20530347,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref> | rev6 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' |rev6Score = {{rating|3|4}}<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news | last = Darling | first = Nikki | title = Album review: Tori Amos' 'Night of Hunters' | newspaper = [[Los Angeles Times]] | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/09/album-review-tori-amos-night-of-hunters.html|date=September 19, 2011|access-date=September 19, 2011}}</ref> | rev7 = ''[[Metromix]]'' |rev7Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="Metromix" /> | rev8 = [[MusicOMH]] |rev8Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>[http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/tori-amos-night-of-hunters MusicOMH review]</ref> | rev9 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' |rev9Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="meta"/> | rev10 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' |rev10Score = (7/10)<ref name="Spin" /> }}

Although some critics took issue with the extensive concept of ''Night of Hunters'', reviews were mostly positive, with many also citing it as Amos's strongest release in nearly a decade.<ref name="AVClub">{{cite news | last = Tedder | first = Michael | title = Tori Amos: Night Of Hunters | newspaper = [[The A.V. Club]] | url = https://www.avclub.com/tori-amos-night-of-hunters-1798169611|date=September 20, 2011|access-date=September 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="DailyExpress" /><ref name="Skinny">{{cite magazine | last = Bowes | first = David | title = Tori Amos – Night of Hunters | magazine = [[The Skinny (magazine)|The Skinny]] | url = http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/records/103224-tori_amos_night_hunters |date=September 5, 2011|access-date=September 5, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Trousers">{{cite web|last=Ramon|first=Alex|title=Tori Amos: ''Night Of Hunters''|publisher=Wears the Trousers|url=http://wearsthetrousers.com/2011/08/tori-amos-night-of-hunters/|date=August 23, 2011|access-date=September 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918114017/http://www.wearsthetrousers.com/2011/08/tori-amos-night-of-hunters/|archive-date=September 18, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Glide">{{cite web|last=Zimmeman|first=Peter|title=Tori Amos: ''Night of Hunters''|work=Glide Magazine|url=http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles/57596/tori-amos.html|date=September 9, 2011|access-date=September 10, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Ology">{{cite web|last=Warner|first=Brett|title=Album review: "Night of Hunters" By Tori Amos|work=Ology|url=http://www.ology.com/music/album-review-%E2%80%98night-hunters%E2%80%99-tori-amos|date=September 14, 2011|access-date=September 14, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120024132/http://ology.com/music/album-review-%E2%80%98night-hunters%E2%80%99-tori-amos|archive-date=November 20, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally, a number of critics took note of the vocal contributions by Amos's daughter and of Amos's own skills as a pianist, citing both as major highlights of the record.

[[AllMusic]] gave the album a glowing review, stating, "[Amos] employs her finest vocal and piano-playing skills [here]," resulting in an album of "sophistication, elegance, and poetry" that "contains the power, dynamics and splendor of her very best material,"<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web | last = Jurek | first = Thom | title = Night of Hunters – Tori Amos | website = [[AllMusic]] | url = {{AllMusic|class=album|id=night-of-hunters-r2200860|tab=review|pure_url=yes}} |date=September 19, 2011|access-date=September 19, 2011}}</ref> while the ''[[Associated Press]]'' observed, "There are clear classical, even operatic influences, from sweeping strings and reedy woodwinds, [to] Amos's gripping piano" on this "beautifully composed album which highlights Amos's[s] classical training and fierce intensity as a musician and songwriter."<ref name="AssociatedPress">{{cite web|last=Hawkins|first=Karen|title=Tori Amos: Night of Hunters|publisher=[[Associated Press]]|url=http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110919/ap_en_mu/us_fea_music_review_tori_amos|date=September 19, 2011|access-date=September 19, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=November 2012}}</ref> ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' praised Amos for "[getting] back to the basics", calling the record a "sprawling [...] thesis on the enduring beauty of classical music" and "[Amos's] most enjoyable album in years,"<ref name="AVClub" /> while ''Blurt'' magazine insisted, "There's so much more to Amos's latest music," stating, "The one-time child prodigy is a celebrated virtuoso for a reason. Doubters need only listen to her ever-masterful piano playing intertwined with orchestral movements [here] and her as-distinctive-as-[[Stevie Nicks]]' voice to confirm that", declaring the album "a rare musical vision you'd be foolish to pass up."<ref name="Blurt">{{cite web|last=Dunham|first=Nancy|title=Tori Amos: Night of Hunters|work=[[Blurt Magazine]]|date=September 20, 2011|url=http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/3332/|access-date=September 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601153753/http://blurt-online.com/reviews/view/3332/|archive-date=June 1, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''[[Daily Express]]'' also hailed the album, calling it "complex, accomplished and [Amos's] finest work in a decade."<ref name="DailyExpress" /> ''Glide Magazine'' was taken by the "power, immediacy and splendor" of the album, stating, "Amos has delivered her most absorbing, forceful and captivating record since 2002’s ''[[Scarlet's Walk]]''," declaring it, finally, "a venerable tour de force."<ref name="Glide" /> [[Drowned in Sound]] gave a positive review, praising Amos for the sparse production of the album and noting "as a whole [it] showcases the best of [Amos's] piano work."<ref name="DrownedInSound">{{cite web|last=Farah|first=Amanda|title=Tori Amos – Night of Hunters|work=[[Drowned in Sound]]|date=September 23, 2011|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16523/reviews/4143633?ticker|access-date=September 23, 2011|archive-date=September 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924044535/http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16523/reviews/4143633?ticker|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'' criticized the album for its "overthought concept" and focus on "resolution rather than build-up", but praised Amos for her craftmanship as a musician, stating, "[The fact] that Amos can weave her own songs so deftly into variations on classical pieces is testament to her talent, and the piano, string and woodwind arrangements frequently sound as lovely as her earlier orchestral experiments."<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|last=Macpherson|first=Alex|title=Tori Amos: Night of Hunters – review|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/sep/15/tori-amos-night-of-hunter-review|date=September 15, 2011|access-date=September 15, 2011}}</ref> The ''[[Harvard Crimson]]'' praised Amos for "composing an album that effectively uses [[chamber music]] as a tool relevant to the times," declaring it "the work of an accomplished musical architect" and describing it as "an inimitable blend of vocal arrangements, orchestral scoring, and a spiritual homage to nature" with "moments of impeccable instrumentation" that "play more like the score of a dramatic film than the work of a singer-songwriter," all of it culminating in "an intricate, swirling triumph."<ref>{{cite web | last = Gray | first = Galila | title = Tori Amos Experiments With Classical Motifs|work=[[The Harvard Crimson]]|date=September 20, 2011|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/9/20/Tori-Amos-Night-of-Hunters-Review/}}</ref>

''[[Holy Moly]]!'' called it "a sumptuous sounding work, with the piano to the fore," also noting "While this is a new approach for [Amos] (abandoning her usual musicians in favour of [a] clarinettist and string quartet), she sounds completely at home with what is essentially an intellectual take on the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway musical]]."<ref>{{cite web | last = Chipping | first = Tim | title = Tori Amos – Night of Hunter – a 21st-century song cycle about a shapeshifter | work = Holy Moly! | publisher = [[Holy Moly]]! | date=September 23, 2011 |url =http://www.holymoly.com/music/reviews/tori-amos-night-hunter-21st-century-song-cycle-about-shapeshifter59616#ixzz1Yn6YZH9V/}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' called the album "a beautiful kaleidoscope of remembering and letting go", comparing it to the works of [[Kate Bush]] and stating, "[Amos's] voice is a crystal bell with only the ivory [of her piano] guiding her" as we witness "an artist maturing and growing with her music, [and] making sense of her past in a wholly original, intelligent way." The ''[[Evening Standard|London Evening Standard]]'' praised Amos for handling the classical proceedings "triumphantly", stating, "From the reassuringly bleak opening to the breathy piano and scratched strings of the [album's centerpiece], these graceful, imaginative, all-acoustic songs threaten to give classical crossover a good name. Amos, meanwhile, deserves a reappraisal."<ref name="EveningStandard">{{cite web|last=Godwin|first=Richard|title=CDs of the week: Kasabian and Tony Bennett|work=[[Evening Standard]]|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/arts/music/cds-of-the-week-kasabian-and-tony-bennett-6444251.html|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 16, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Metromix]]'' called the record "one of the most gorgeous and challenging albums of Amos's career," pointing out her "stunning acoustic piano skills," and labeling it, finally, "a master class in Amos's artistic power."<ref name="Metromix">{{cite web | last = Biese | first = Alex | title = Tori Amos, 'Night of Hunters' | publisher = [[Metromix]] | url = http://newyork.metromix.com/music/cd_review/tori-amos-night-of/2825038/content|date=September 19, 2011|access-date=September 19, 2011}}</ref> ''The Digital Fix'' gave the album a positive review, distinguishing it for its "rich sonic tapestry, with strings and woodwinds swelling underneath [Amos's] always virtuoso piano performances,"<ref>{{cite web | last =Gray| first =Mike| title =Tori Amos – Night Of Hunters| publisher = The Digital Fix | url =http://music.thedigitalfix.com/content/review/15301/tori-amos.html|date=September 8, 2011|access-date=September 8, 2011}}</ref> and [[NPR]] declared it "the album [Amos] was destined, by early apprenticeship and spiritual affinity, to record."<ref>{{cite web|last=Powers|first=Ann|title=First Listen: Tori Amos, ''Night of Hunters''|publisher=[[NPR]]|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/09/11/140261371/first-listen-tori-amos-night-of-hunters?ps=mh_fl#playlist|date=September 12, 2011|access-date=September 12, 2011}}</ref> ''[[The Observer]]'', in turn, criticized the album for its "florid excesses", stating, "it plays out like an intermittently absorbing, if overly demanding, night at the theatre [...] but Amos's[s] voice possesses enough conviction and personality to breathe life into what could have been an orchestral folly,"<ref>{{cite web|last=Carnwath|first=Ally|title=Tori Amos: Night of Hunters – review|work=[[The Observer]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/sep/17/tori-amos-night-hunters-review|date=September 17, 2011}}</ref> while ''Ology'' also cited it as "[Amos's] best album in more than a decade," calling it "an overpoweringly lush rumination on her classical influences that’s both sprawling and intimate, powerful and delicate."<ref name="Ology" />

[[PopMatters]] criticized the album for its "elliptical" narrative but noted, "Nevertheless, the album does contain its share of gripping drama, undeniable poignancy, and iridescent beauty" and "it is hard not to applaud, even marvel at its intense focus, meticulous craftsmanship, and bravura performances, not to mention its sheer artistic ambition."<ref name="PopMatters">{{cite magazine | last = Siegel | first = Greg | title = Tori Amos: Night of Hunters | magazine = [[PopMatters]] | url =http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/148703-tori-amos-night-of-hunters/|date=September 20, 2011|access-date=September 20, 2011}}</ref> ''[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]'' commended Amos for "[skipping] the gimmicks that have marred her later works and [returning] to the raw emotion and power of her earlier songs,"<ref>{{cite web|last=Berger|first=David|title=New CD reviews: Needtobreathe, Tori Amos|work=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsburger/52596877-53/album-amos-music-needtobreathe.html.csp|date=September 16, 2011|access-date=September 16, 2011}}</ref> while ''[[The Scotsman]]'' hailed the album, also comparing it to the works of Kate Bush and calling it "piano rich", "intensely personal", "bonkers, mesmeric and charged with a pristine eroticism," declaring, finally, "This is a real record by a real artist, a rare thing in this age of [[Throw-away society|disposable culture]]."<ref name="TheScotsman">{{cite web|last=Somerville |first=Colin |title=Tori Amos: Night of Hunters |work=[[The Scotsman]] |url=http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment/Album-review-Tori-Amos-Night.6838544.jp |date=September 20, 2011 |access-date=September 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924125714/http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment/Album-review-Tori-Amos-Night.6838544.jp |archive-date=September 24, 2011 }}</ref> The Scottish magazine, ''[[The Skinny (magazine)|The Skinny]]'', praised the album for its "focus on delicate symphonies and baroque drama," comparing it to "the stark and candid nature of ''[[Under the Pink]]''," and citing it as both "a breathtaking return" and Amos's "strongest album in over a decade,"<ref name="Skinny" /> while ''[[Slant Magazine|Slant]]'' criticized the album for its uniform sound and tempo, but noted, "The more direct songs are genuinely beautiful and transcend the trappings of the album's rigid construct," also stating, "every [string and] woodwind instrument rings with the purest of tones in support of Amos's typically stunning piano work" resulting in a "beautiful, smart record."<ref name="Slant">{{cite magazine | last = Keefe | first = Jonathan | title = Tori Amos: ''Night of Hunters'' | magazine = [[Slant Magazine]] | url = http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/tori-amos-night-of-hunters/2624 |date=September 18, 2011|access-date=September 24, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' praised Amos for creating "a wildly imaginative ride full of orchestral fireworks and fairy-tale melodrama,"<ref name="Spin">{{cite magazine | last = Cavalieri | first = Nate | title = Tori Amos, 'Night of Hunters' (Deutsche Grammophon) | magazine = [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] | url =http://www.spin.com/reviews/tori-amos-night-hunters-deutsche-grammophon|date=September 20, 2011|access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> while ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut Magazine]]'' declared, "If the aim was to out-bonkers [[Joanna Newsom]] and Kate Bush while creating a compelling album, Amos has more than succeeded."<ref name="meta"/> The UK-based women in music compendium, ''Wears The Trousers Magazine'', continued with the praise, also crediting the album with being Amos's "most cohesive and consistent" in nearly a decade, lauding her for "[building] on the work of past masters to develop an utterly distinctive vision of her own," resulting in "a rich, immersive record of beauty, danger and grace."<ref name="Trousers" />

The album was awarded the [[Echo (music award)|Echo]] ''{{Lang|de|Klassik-ohne-Grenzen-Preis}}'' (''Classics without Borders Prize'') in 2012.<ref>http://www.echoklassik.de/en/klassik-klassik-ohne-grenzen-preis-1/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714063317/http://www.echoklassik.de/en/klassik-klassik-ohne-grenzen-preis-1/ |date=July 14, 2012 }} "Tori Amos – Prizewinner with the album ''Night of Hunters''], [[Echo (music award)|Echo Deutscher Musikpreis]]</ref>

== Track listing ==

{{tracklist | extra_column = Variation on: | headline = ''Night of Hunters'' |total_length = 71:38 | all_lyrics = [[Tori Amos]] | all_music = | title1 = Shattering Sea | extra1 = ''Song of the Madwoman on the Sea-Shore, Prelude Op. 31, No. 8'' | length1 = 5:38 | music1 = [[Charles-Valentin Alkan]]

| title4 = Fearlessness | extra4 = ''Orientale'' from ''12 Spanish Dances'' | length4 = 6:31 | music4 = Granados

| title8 = Nautical Twilight | extra8 = ''Venetian Boat Song'' from ''[[Songs Without Words]], Op. 30'' | length8 = 3:16 | music8 = [[Felix Mendelssohn]]

| title12 = Night of Hunters | note12 = featuring Kelsey Dobyns | extra12 = ''[[List of solo keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti|Sonata in F minor, K. 466]]'', ''Salve Regina'' | length12 = 5:32 | music12 = {{hlist|[[Domenico Scarlatti]]|[[Gregorian chant]]}}

| title14 = [[Carry (song)|Carry]] | extra14 = ''[[La fille aux cheveux de lin|The Girl with the Flaxen Hair]]'' from ''[[Préludes (Debussy)|Préludes I]]'' | length14 = 4:07 | music14 = [[Claude Debussy]] }}

'''Bonus content:''' The deluxe edition includes a bonus DVD containing a documentary on the album and music videos for "Carry" and "Nautical Twilight".

== Personnel == {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;Musicians * [[Tori Amos]] – vocals, [[Bösendorfer]] (piano) * [[John Philip Shenale]] – arrangements

;String quartet (Apollon Musagète) * Piotr Skweres – cello * Piotr Szumieł – [[viola]] * Paweł Zalejski – violin * Bartosz Zachłod – violin

;Woodwind instruments * Laura Lucas – flute * [[Andreas Ottensamer]] – [[clarinet]] * Nigel Shore – [[oboe]], [[cor anglais|English horn]] * Peter Whelan – [[bassoon]] * Luke Whitehead – [[contrabassoon]]

;Additional vocalists * Kelsey Dobyns – ''The Fire Muse'' guest vocals on "Night of Hunters" * Natashya Hawley – ''Annabelle'' guest vocals on "SnowBlind", "Cactus Practice", "Job's Coffin" and "The Chase" {{col-2}}

;Production * Tori Amos – record producer * Mark Hawley – [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixer]] * Marcel van Limbeek – mixer * Jon Astley – mastering * Dr. Alexander Buhr – executive producer * Victor de Mello – photography {{col-end}}

==Charts== The chart below lists the album's peak positions on various music charts around the world. While the album's debut at No. 24 on the ''Billboard'' 200 did not chart particularly well compared to some of her earlier albums, many of which debuted in the top 10 in the US, Amos did make ''Billboard'' history by being the first female artist to have an album place in the top 10 of the Classical, Alternative, and Rock charts simultaneously.<ref>{{cite web | title = Tori Amos' ''Night of Hunters'' Makes ''Billboard'' History | website = BroadwayWorld.com | url =http://tunes.broadwayworld.com/article/Tori-Amos-Night-of-Hunters-Makes-Billboard-History-20111003#ixzz1a00fnk76|date=October 3, 2011|access-date=October 5, 2011}}</ref> {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" !Chart (2011)<ref>[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=tori amos|chart=all}}]</ref> !Peak<br />position |- !scope="row"|Australian Albums ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_album.asp?chart%3D1G50 |title=Australian Record Industry Association |access-date=March 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119110621/http://www.ariacharts.com.au/pages/charts_display_album.asp?chart=1G50 |archive-date=November 19, 2010 }}</ref> |align="center"|42 |- {{album chart|Austria|22|artist=Tori Amos|album=Night Of Hunters|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Flanders|25|artist=Tori Amos|album=Night Of Hunters|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Wallonia|36|artist=Tori Amos|album=Night Of Hunters|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Denmark|29|artist=Tori Amos|album=Night Of Hunters|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- !scope="row"|[[MegaCharts|Dutch Albums Chart]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Tori+Amos&titel=Night+Of+Hunters&cat=a|title=Tori Amos - Night of Hunters}}</ref> |align="center"|34 |- !scope="row"|Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts|Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name="acharts.us"/> |align="center"|8 |- !scope="row"|French Albums ([[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|SNEP]])<ref name="acharts.us"/> |align="center"|70 |- !scope="row"|German Albums ([[GfK Entertainment charts|Offizielle Top 100]])<ref name="acharts.us">{{Cite web|url=http://acharts.us/album/65615|title = Night of Hunters by Tori Amos - Music Charts|website = αCharts}}</ref> |align="center"|12 |- {{album chart|Italy|47|artist=Tori Amos|album=Night Of Hunters|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- !scope="row"|Norwegian Albums ([[VG-lista]])<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lista.vg.no/artist/tori-amos/1079 |title=VG-lista - Tori Amos |access-date=April 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426202043/http://lista.vg.no/artist/tori-amos/1079 |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |align="center"|31 |- !scope="row"|Polish Albums ([[Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry|ZPAV]])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://olis.onyx.pl/listy/index.asp?idlisty=695&lang=en|title=Oficjalna lista sprzedaży – OLiS – Official Retail Sales Chart|access-date=October 7, 2011}}</ref> | align="center"|13 |- {{album chart|Scotland|29|date=20110925|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Spain|86|artist=Tori Amos|album=Night Of Hunters|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Switzerland|33|artist=Tori Amos|album=Night Of Hunters|rowheader=true|access-date=November 22, 2021}} |- !scope="row"|[[UK Albums Chart|UK Albums]] (OCC)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/albums-chart/ |title=Album Top 40 from the Official UK Charts Company |access-date=June 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709112217/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/albums-chart/ |archive-date=July 9, 2011 }}</ref> |align="center"|27 |- {{album chart|Billboard200|24|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=May 10, 2026}} |- {{album chart|BillboardAlternative|5|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=May 10, 2026}} |- {{album chart|BillboardClassical|1|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=May 10, 2026}} |- {{album chart|BillboardRock|7|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=May 10, 2026}} |- {{album chart|BillboardTastemaker|8|artist=Tori Amos|rowheader=true|access-date=May 10, 2026}} |}

== Certifications == {{certification Table Top}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Tori Amos|title=Night of Hunters|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=2011|certyear=2026|access-date=May 15, 2026}} {{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|noshipments=true | nosales=true}}

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== *[http://toriamos.com/ Tori Amos official website] *[http://www.apollon-musagete.com Apollon Musagète Quartett official website] *[https://www.facebook.com/toriamos Tori Amos official Facebook page]

[[Category:Tori Amos albums]] [[Category:2011 albums]] [[Category:2010s concept albums]] [[Category:Deutsche Grammophon albums]] [[Category:Classical crossover albums]]