Björk and Iceland's Hamrahlíð Choir Team Up on "Cosmogony" Cover
The choir will release a new album titled 'Come and Be Joyful'
Published Nov 06, 2020
Björk and Icelandic conductor Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir have shared plans for a new collaborative album titled Come and Be Joyful, a collection of choral songs conceived during Björk's "Cornucopia" tour. Backed by Ingólfsdóttir's Hamrahlíð Choir, the album will arrive on December 4.Today, the collective has shared the first taste of the record, with a choral cover of Björk's 2011 Biophilia track "Cosmogony."
The artist announced her involvement in the project via Twitter earlier today:
"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"
— björk (@bjork) November 6, 2020
the hamrahlid choir's album 'come and be joyful' is available now for pre-order : https://t.co/HWntOjmIje pic.twitter.com/f3OvjUm8T0
In a statement, Björk added that Ingólfsdóttir "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."
The Hamrahlíð Choir, originally formed in 1967, has featured some of Iceland's most prominent musicians — including Björk herself. The choir has also been home to pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, composer Haukur Tómasson, musicologist Árni Heimir Ingólfsson and Kristinn Sigmundsson. Björk reconnected with the choir for "Cornucopia" back in 2017.
Come and Be Joyful will feature Icelandic folk songs, as well as an additional Björk cover, "Sonnets" from 2004's Medúlla, based on her own arrangements.
Listen to the choral cover of "Cosmogony" below, where you can also find the album's full tracklisting.
Come and Be Joyful:
1. Ísland, farsælda frón (Iceland, Beloved Country)
2. Komdu nú að kveðast á (Make Verses, Maestro)
3. Vísur Vatnsenda-Rósu (Vatnsenda-Rósa ́s Verses)
4. Stóðum tvö í túni (We Stood in the Meadow)
5. Blástjarnan þó skarti skær (The Blue and Brightly Shining Star)
6. Veröld fláa sýnir sig (The Deceptive World)
7. Haldiðún Gróa hafi skó (Dance Song)
8. Sonnets
9. Cosmogony
10. Haustvísur til Máríu (Autumn Verses to the Virgin Mary)
11. Maríukvæði (A Mary Poem)
12. Vikivaki (The Lover in the Red Forest)
13. Í gleðinni (Come and Be Joyful)
14. Smávinir fagrir (Fair Little Friends)
Pre-order Come and Be Joyful.