THE HAMRAHLÍÐ CHOIR will release “Cosmogony,” the first single from their upcoming album Come and be Joyful, on December 6. Written by Björk and Sjón, “Cosmogony” is an entirely acapella work which was first performed by the Hamrahlíð Choir at the premiere performance of Björk’s critically acclaimed Cornucopia show at The Shed, New York, last year.
Björk herself was a member of the choir as a teenager, and as a result has been a long-time collaborator. As such a fan of the choir’s work and completely unique sound, Björk featured them on both the Utopia album and had all 52 choristers accompany her around the world to perform at every live show during the Cornucopia tour.
Come and be Joyful features Icelandic folk songs along with two collaborative Björk covers – “Cosmogony” & “Sonnets”, based on Björk’s own arrangements. The album is built out from the choir’s phenomenal support set at the Cornucopia live shows, with additional tracks added following the end of the tour.
Björk began her collaboration with The Hamrahlíð Choir in 2017, singing on her album Utopia, and this collaboration continued with concerts including those at The Shed, New York City, in May and June 2019.
Follow Bjork here.
THE HAMRAHLÍÐ CHOIR will release their new album, Come and be Joyful, on December 6. Conceived during their collaboration with Björk on Utopia, Come and be Joyful is built out from the choir’s phenomenal support set at the Cornucopia live shows, with additional tracks added following the end of the tour.
Björk herself was a member of the choir as a teenager, and as a result has been a long-time collaborator. As such a fan of the choir’s work and completely unique sound, Björk featured them on both the Utopia album and had all 52 choristers accompany her around the world to perform at every live show during the Cornucopia tour.
Come and be Joyful features Icelandic folk songs along with two collaborative Björk covers – “Cosmogony” & “Sonnets,”, based on Björk’s own arrangements.
On the two acapella songs by Björk, ‘”Cosmogony” and “Sonnets”:
We did the first performance of the songs at the premiere performance of the Cornucopia show at the Shed last year.We liked both of the songs very much and when we were asked to perform at the Ceremony when Björk was honoured by The Society of Icelandic Composers and made an honorary member, we did Cosmogony and Sonnets. (Jan. 25, 2020).
Björk began her collaboration with The Hamrahlíð Choir in 2017, singing on her album Utopia, and this collaboration continued with the Cornucopia concerts at The Shed, New York City, in May and June 2019 and the Cornucopia tour of Europe In November and December 2019.
A word from Björk:
i am so incredibly grateful that the hamrahlíð choir and it’s original conductor þorgerður ingólfsdóttir came on tour with me . i was myself in this choir when i was 16 and i think every single icelandic musician you have ever heard of was brought up and musically baptised by this miraculous woman . she is a legend in iceland and has guarded optimism and the light in the tumultuous times that teenagedom is . she has also encouraged and commissioned dozens of choral works from all of iceland’s most prominent composers for half a century or so .
i am absolutely beyond honoured
warmthness
love and respect
björk
Tracklist:
- Ísland, farsælda frón (Iceland, Beloved Country)
- Komdu nú að kveðast á (Make Verses, Maestro)
- Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu (Vatnsenda-Rósa ́s Verses)
- Stóðum tvö í túni (We Stood in the Meadow)
- Blástjarnan þó skarti skær (The Blue and Brightly Shining Star)
- Veröld fláa sýnir sig (The Deceptive World)
- Haldiðún Gróa hafi skó (Dance Song)
- Sonnets
- Cosmogony
- Haustvísur til Máríu (Autumn Verses to the Virgin Mary)
- Maríukvæði (A Mary Poem)
- Vikivaki (The Lover in the Red Forest)
- Í gleðinni (Come and Be Joyful)
- Smávinir fagrir (Fair Little Friends
