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Erland Cooper: Carve the Runes

Then Be Content With Silence

,Hall
photo of Erland Cooper holding his tape recording

The ground-breaking Scottish composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist shares his buried album, unearthed and performed live for the first time, exactly as it sounds from the earth.

In May 2021, he planted the only existing copy of the master tape of his first classical album in Orkney, Scotland, deleting all digital files and leaving only a treasure hunt of clues for fans and his record label alike to search for it.

Revealing the unearthed tape from the soil and with a large string ensemble, led by solo violinist Freya Goldmark, they will perform the album exactly as it sounds from the earth

The first half of the concert will preview a specially commissioned film by Bafta and Tribeca winning film maker Christian Cargill. The second half will première the piece with string ensemble before closing with a few of Cooper’s familiar works.

Tagged with: Contemporary music

Buried Tape Exhibition

Barbican Ground Floor, Thu 1 Feb - Thu 29 Feb.

In 2021 Erland Cooper buried a tape containing the only recording of a new work deep in the soil of Orkney. A treasure hunt of clues was slowly revealed and eventually in late 2022 it was found.

This tape, along with all its accompanying artefacts can be seen in this exclusive exhibition. 

Please note that the display will not be available to view Mon 19 Feb & Tue 20 Feb due to private events.

“At a time in history when technology has made the world’s recorded music available to anyone with a
streaming subscription...Cooper’s project serves as a commentary on the disposable nature of music and the
immediacy with which it is delivered” The Times

The end time for this concert will be added here closer to the performance date. 

Produced by the Barbican.

Ticket prices

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