ERLAND COOPER – ATTENBOROUGH CENTRE FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS, BRIGHTON 30.11.24
Now here’s a thing! Something that The KLF no doubt wished that they had first thought of!
So you go to the trouble of writing and composing a brand new three-movement for solo violin and string ensemble which takes many hours. Then you inform your post-classical record label of the existence of the new material and then you get together the finest musicians in their field and then you book some recording studio time at one of the World Top Ten institutions for performing arts education and lay down the tracks. You have yourself one master-tape and digital copies your successful recordings which all sounds pretty normal doesn’t it! So what normally happens next is that the music is officially released and in theory the music ceases to be the sole property of the composer and is joyfully shared with fans around the world.
However, if your name is Erland Cooper then you certainly don’t roll that way! So how does Erland play it I hear you ask. Well, he only instructs the recording engineer to delete ALL of the digital files, which she dutifully complies with. This made her feel something like a naughty schoolgirl as she sniggered as she pushed the delete button. The recordings are now solely held on this original master tape, which is rather like Jean-Michel Jarre’s sixth studio album ‘Musique Pour Supermarché’ (‘Music for Supermarkets’), where only a single vinyl copy was ever pressed and distributed, and its master plates were deliberately destroyed. What does Scottish multi-instrumentalist and contemporary composer Erland do then, that likens him to The KLF? No, he doesn’t burn the master tape, but instead he buries the sole recording of the work – on ¼ inch magnetic tape – in May 2021 along with the sheet music in the Scottish Highlands under two feet of peaty soil on the Island of Orkney (he is originally from Stromness, Orkney) with a carved rune stone marking the spot and sets a treasure hunt of clues for anyone to seek it! Genius or madman?
Erland works across mixed media projects including installation art, theatre and film and his thinking on this was an entirely unique attempt to collaborate with the natural world, it would be an experiment on patience, art and value. He planned to leave it under the ground for three years and then go back afterwards and dig it back up and note what condition the tape was in. Will the tape emerge silent or will anything be salvageable?..
So what musical journey brought me here tonight to the Attenborough Centre For Creative Arts (abbreviated to ACCA) which is located on Sussex University campus at Falmer on the very edge of Brighton, in order to witness gig 24 (the final date) of Erland Cooper’s 2024 tour?
My journey strangely began almost 6 years before Erland was even born (5th October 1984), when on 5th December 1978 I witnessed Ultravox! performing live on ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ BBC TV show, they played ‘Slow Motion’ and ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’ watch HERE. I was hooked and purchased their trio of thus far released albums: ‘Ultravox!’ (1977), ‘Ha!-Ha!-Ha!’ (1977) and ‘Systems Of Romance’ (1978). Then in 1979 the Ultravox! frontman John Foxx left the band and was replaced by Midge Ure and they dropped their exclamation mark. John Foxx was now a solo artist and sounding very much like Gary Numan, which sadly wasn’t to last, but I kept on purchasing every Foxx album through thick and thin. He eventually began to collaborate with other artists including Louis Gordon and as a duo they played live at The Richmond in Brighton, I was there. Then in 2009 John Foxx & The Maths came on the scene which featured Foxx, Benge, Robin Simon and a certain Hannah Peel. Northern Irish Hannah Peel is an Ivor Novello award winning composer, producer and broadcaster, and as well as being in that band Hannah was also one-third of The Magnetic North which features multi-instrumentalist Simon Tong and Orcadian artist and producer Gawain Erland Cooper…yes our Eland Cooper, he was finally on my radar when I purchased their 2016 ‘Prospect Of Skelmersdale’ album.
Tonight’s sold-out performance was in two halves, with the first half consisting of ‘Recomposing Earth’, a 27 minute film by Christian Cargill, which ran from 8:01pm to 8:28pm and this tells the story of Erland Cooper’s ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’, this being the master tape that was buried. This film was projected on the rear screen of the stage and was a totally absorbing watch. We learned that the music was recorded at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow and Erland’s music is inspired by the Orkney’s and its wildlife, especially the birds. The master tape was buried with an old violin and notes on what to do if anyone should find it before it is exhumed. This being an entirely unique attempt to collaborate with the natural world. It turns out that indeed it WAS discovered after around 18 months in September 2022 and was literally unearthed by Orkney residents Victoria and Dan Rhodes. In the film they explain what happened and say that it was like finding an archaeological dig. Other people feature in the film, including musician Paul Weller; novelist Ian Rankin; and radio presenter Elizabeth Alker, who were all entrusted with copies of the music score in addition to the one that was buried.
Once the tape was returned to Erland, he allowed it to carefully dry out and the soil was delicately dusted off. Then the tape was loaded onto a reel to reel tape player and prior to pressing the play button the play head was ceremoniously cleaned with Orkney whiskey. The button is pressed and the film immediately falls silent, we are drawn to Erland and watch his facial expression and then he punches the air and it’s a joyous occasion for him and us, although there’s still no sound for us. He then reaches out and turns the tape machine off and we get that click and sound is restored! What a tease! Clearly there’s something on the tape and so we would just have to wait for the second half in order to find out what!
Tonight’s event at ACCA is seated and whilst taking in some ambient background music sounds during the interval, my attention is turned to the instrumentation on the stage. Largest of all is a Steinway & Sons Grand Piano, with a Ampex 456 grand master tape box resting on one of the legs. It looks in mint condition and so can’t be the one that was buried but maybe just a representation of what was buried or it’s the box of the right hand tape on the nearby Revox reel-to-reel tape machine. The left hand reel is looking browned and stained and this gets me wondering whether this IS the actual tape that was buried. Thankfully during the performance Erland draws out attention to this tape and confirms that it’s the exact same one! For the rest of the set my eyes are drawn to it like a magnet. There’s also a small cassette tape machine and a Roland SP-404 Sampling Workstation on stage. To our left of the tape machine is a vintage synthesizer that I’m very keen to hear in action! On our right hand side of the stage are microphones and a chair.
Prior to the arrival of the musicians, slowly moving dry ice slowly flowered across the stage like some sea must heading inland from the Orkneys, which up there is referred to as “Haar”. At 8:49pm a chap took to the stage and turned on the small cassette tape machine and bird calls rang out in addition to the ambient music. We are getting primed in order to be as one with nature! There’s now more dry ice on the go and it rolls off the stage and into the first row where I’m sitting and the smell goes up my nostrils.
At 9:02pm the sound of thunder and falling rain blasts out as the musicians, who are all clad in black, take to the stage. From our left to right we have Erland Cooper (whose work is inspired by his childhood home Stromness, Orkney, as well as themes of nature, people, place and time) on vocals, piano, keys, sampling electronics; Freya Goldmark who is bare-footed (violin, vocals); Emma Purslow (violin); Paloma Deike (viola) and Peteris Sokolovskis (cello).
Erland starts the reel-to-reel and then sits down at the grand piano with his eyes shut and then tweaks a small silver box which is next to the sampler. He then dusts the piano keys with a black towel, which is a regular occurrence throughout the set, until that is, when he tosses the towel off the stage in between the two black curtains. After this intro they commence with ‘Hamnavoe’ from 2020’s ‘Hether Blether’ album, followed by ‘Spoot Ebb’ from 2019’s ‘Sule Skerry’ album. It’s clear that Erland feels every note through his entire body and then he addresses the crowd and talks about the buried violin concerto and enquires as to whether we would like to hear some music from the album. Of course we do and we are rewarded with ‘Carve The Runes – Movement 1 Carve The Runes, Part 1’ and ‘Part 3’ from the 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album, which explores the borders between electronic and classical music and was released on the Autumn equinox, 20th September 2024, following its premiere live at The Barbican in London on 8th June. The synth gives off some truly fabulous deep bass notes which are for yours truly rather wonderful. I’m studying his every movement as he plays keys and twists the knobs.
It’s experiment time next as Erland asks us all to get out our mobile phones and then go to his website and then to click the tape machine button which then plays blackbird song and the auditorium becomes full of bird chatter and the musicians perform a Brighton audience blackbird version of ‘Music For Growing Flowers’ which is found on his 2022 album of the same name. Suffice to say the experiment was a huge success all round, especially as Peteris kept raising his arm up and down for us in order for us to raise or lower the blackbird song’s volume. After this, Erland sets up the four other musicians in requesting that they perform a ‘Swedish Polka’ and of course oblige. This was not listed on their setlists, and yet you wouldn’t have really realised that it was an instant improv piece. ‘Holm Sound’ is listed next on the setlist and Erland informs us that he wrote the piece for his mum, and Erland was back at the piano for this sedate tune, which felt like a film score piece.
Erland then tells us that it’s the final night of the tour and it’s clearly been quite a journey for him. We then heard a recorded vocal which reminded me of Ivor Cutler, but I’m guessing was actually George Mackay Brown’s poetic narration, on account of the new ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ recordings being a celebration of 100 years since the Orcadian poet’s birth. Thus the musicians perform ‘Carve The Runes – Movement 2 Then Be Content, Parts 1, 2 & 3’, followed by ‘Carve The Runes – Movement 3 With Silence, Parts 1 & 2’ and then ‘Aflame (Folded Landscapes Mvt. 6)’ from 2023’s ‘Folded Landscapes’ Erland Cooper & Scottish Ensemble album. They ended the performance with ‘Skreevar’ which is from 2020’s ‘Hether Blether’ album and after which the musicians were rewarded with a hearty applause and we were in turn rewarded with one final tune, this being ‘First Of The Tide’ from 2019’s ‘Sule Skerry’ album, for which Erland sings for the only time on the night and is accompanied at times by Freya Goldmark also on vocals. She has a lovely voice and at 10:27pm that was it. It was standing ovations all around and a great way to conclude his journey with his ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album. OK what’s next then Erland?……
Erland Cooper:
Erland Cooper – vocals, piano, keys, sampling electronics
Freya Goldmark – violin, vocals
Emma Purslow – violin
Paloma Deike – viola
Peteris Sokolovskis – cello
Erland Cooper setlist:
‘Intro’
‘Hamnavoe’ (from 2020 ‘Hether Blether’ album)
‘Spoot Ebb’ (from 2019 ‘Sule Skerry’ album)
‘Carve The Runes – Movement 1 Carve The Runes, Part 1’
(from 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album) /
‘Carve The Runes – Movement 1 Carve The Runes, Part 3’ (from 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album)
‘Music For Growing Flowers’ (from 2022 ‘Music For Growing Flowers’ album)
‘Swedish Polka’ (unreleased on the spot improv piece)
‘Holm Sound’ (unreleased)
‘Carve The Runes – Movement 2 Then Be Content, Part 1’ (from 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album) /
‘Carve The Runes – Movement 2 Then Be Content, Part 2’ (from 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album) /
‘Carve The Runes – Movement 2 Then Be Content, Part 3’ (from 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album)
‘Carve The Runes – Movement 3 With Silence, Part 1’ (from 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album) /
‘Carve The Runes – Movement 3 With Silence, Part 2’ (from 2024 ‘Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ album)
‘Aflame (Folded Landscapes Mvt. 6)’ (from 2023 ‘Folded Landscapes’ Erland Cooper & Scottish Ensemble album)
‘Skreevar’ (from 2020 ‘Hether Blether’ album)
(encore)
‘First Of The Tide’ (from 2019 ‘Sule Skerry’ album)
