Erland Cooper’s ‘Folded Landscapes’: A Call for Climate Action
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Esteemed composer, producer, performer, and conceptual artist Erland Cooper brings his environmental musical exploration to new heights with ‘Folded Landscapes’, an album set for release alongside a companion piano album on Mercury KX on November 3. A preview of the project, the single “Cold (Mvt.3)” is already available for listening.
Blending modern classical-electronic music with compelling storytelling, ‘Folded Landscapes’ reflects Cooper’s pressing observations on climate change and compellingly calls for collective, positive action. This potent chamber string composition metaphorically melts across seven movements, revealing layers of electronics, poetry, soprano, piano, harpsichord, field recordings, and samples.
The creative recording process mirrored the rising temperature of the piece, from icy to a menacing burn – musicians recorded in sub-zero temperatures, and the audio master tape was sun-scorched on the UK’s hottest recorded day. The heat, moisture, salt, and sunlight seeped into the tape’s fabric, mixed into the finished work, adding an unsettling, crackling burn.
A collaboration with the Scottish Ensemble, ‘Folded Landscapes’ features guest appearances and samples from Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, activist Greta Thunberg, visual artist Norman Ackroyd, and author-conservationist Dara McAnulty. Natural world field recordings include the California wildfires and collapsing glaciers, accompanied by news report samples of Europe’s hottest day.
Armitage elaborated, “Erland is a poet who works with music’s language; seamlessly folding words into his compositions felt almost spontaneous. If geology could verbalize its dreams and geography could sing in its sleep, this would be its melody.”
The companion piano album offers a minimalist solo piano recording that deepens the environmental music experience. Influenced by glacial cave echoes and ice perspectives, this sister record to the original album provides a mesmerizing, meditative natural world journey. Pairing the piano version with ‘Folded Landscapes’, Cooper aspires to craft a unique, atmospheric musical experience that engulfs listeners in his compositions’ atmospheric beauty.
Erland shared, “I’m fascinated by the relationship between acoustic spaces, place sense, performance, and resonance. I hope listeners enjoy these moments during a walk or perhaps while working, as it gradually thaws in between activities. It’s complete if listened to with an open window or door, with the natural world contributing its part, especially at dawn or dusk.”
Cooper mixed the accompanying piano album using the echo captured in Norway’s glacial caves. Applied acoustics scientists provided him with impulse responses, enabling him to apply the cave’s distinct reverb and sustain to his studio’s piano recordings. The outcome is a subtle yet profound connection to the sense of place, with every reverb and sound design originating from the cave’s essence.
Additionally, one microphone used to record the piano in Erland’s studio was encased deep inside an ice block. As the ice melted, Cooper became fascinated by how the ice “heard” the music, creating a unique, experimental recording process that added another depth layer to the recording.
Dedicated to the environment and catalyzing change, Erland Cooper continues to inspire through his work. A ‘Folded Landscapes’ copyright share percentage will go to Brian Eno’s Earth Percent charity, symbolically making the planet a musical creativity stakeholder and directly funding organizations addressing the climate emergency.
Erland Cooper will be performing live in the UK and Europe on the following dates:
Sunday, September 17: Norwich Arts Centre, Norwich Monday,
September 18: Komedia, Brighton Tuesday,
September 19: Redgrave Theatre, Bristol Wednesday,
September 20: The Stoller Hall, Manchester Thursday,
September 21: Left Bank, Leeds Friday,
September 22: Sage Gateshead, Gateshead Saturday,
September 23: Music Hall, Aberdeen Sunday,
September 24: Library, Lancaster Tuesday,
September 26: Trades Club, Hebden Bridge Saturday,
November 5: Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg Sunday,
November 7: Prachtwerk, Berlin Monday,
November 8: Cultuurcentrum Hasselt, Hasselt Tuesday,
November 9: 30CC, Leuven Monday,
November 10: Les Trois Baudets, Paris.
Learn more about Erland Cooper
