Published
Wed, Jan 6, 2010, 12:30
- The duo will put out a studio version of their collaboration with Planningtorock and Mt. Sims later this year.
The Knife will issue a studio version of their music for the Tomorrow, In A Year opera in March.
The duo were originally approached to write music for the opera by Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma, but instead of deciding to go it alone, Karin and Olof roped in good friends Planningtorock and Mt. Sims to help out with the process. Tomorrow, In A Year is based on the life and work of evolutionary scientist Charles Darwin and his Origin Of The Species, and the foursome made sure to extensively research his literature for ideas and concepts that they could incorporate. Olof even ventured to the Amazon to find inspiration and attend a field recording workshop, and many of the sounds he collected have found their way into the music somehow.
"At first it was very difficult as we really didn’t know anything about opera," explains Olof. "We'd never been to one. I didn't even know what the word libretto meant. But after some studying, and just getting used to opera's essence of pretentious and dramatic gestures, I found that there is a lot to learn and play with. In fact, our ignorance gave us a positive respectless approach to making opera." The quartet have mixed Olof's field recordings with plenty of artificially created sounds, and have even tied in concepts such as birds learning to sing and the letters that Darwin used to send to his daughter. "It took me about a year to become emotionally moved by an opera singer and now I really do," Olof continues. "I really like the basic theatrical values of opera and the easy way it brings forward a narrative. We’ve approached this before in The Knife but never in such a clear way."
Tracklist
CD1:
01. Intro
02. Epochs
03. Geology
04. Upheaved
05. Minerals
06. Ebb Tide Explorer
07. Variation of Birds
08. Letter to Henslow
09. Schoal Swarm Orchestra
CD2:
01. Annie’s Box
02. Tumult
03. Colouring of Pigeons
04. Seeds
05. Tomorrow in a Year
06. The Height of Summer
07. Annie's Box (alt. vocal)
Rabid/Brille Records will release Tomorrow, In A Year on March 1st, 2010.