Track 1:
MAHLER Songs from the Youth’s Magic Horn: Solace in misfortune

Track 2:
MAHLER Songs from the Youth’s Magic Horn: St Anthony’s sermon to the fish

Track 3:
MAHLER Songs from the Youth’s Magic Horn: The Sentinel’s Nightsong
Thomas Quasthoff, baritone, with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by
Claudio Abbado
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 477 8825

Track 4:
TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker: Tea (Chinese Dance)
Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev
PHILIPS 462 114-2

Audio kindly supplied by Silver Partner Universal Music


TCHAIKOVSKY Nutcracker: Tea (Chinese Dance)

Awake/Alive

Solsbury Hill

Hyperballad is written by Björk
Arranged by Luke Howard and Ben Abraham
Mixed by Hadyn Buxton
Mastered by Mandy Parnell

I love this song.

'Hyperballad' came out as a single 20 years ago today (Feb 12, 1996).

To celebrate the fact, I approached some talented friends to help me work on a cover — composer Luke Howard and producer Tim Shiel.

The collaboration resulted in two beautiful versions that I am very proud to be a part of.

Luke's string arrangement makes the song feel like it could be a hundred years old; a testament to Björk's timeless songwriting. Tim's version, with electronic sparseness that pays homage to the original, reminds me that the song could have come out yesterday and it would still be fresh and arresting, and like nothing I've heard.

The lyrics have also become a personal narration for the stage of life I find myself in. I suppose that's what compelled me to want to record it. The exhaling that comes with singing the line "to be safe up here with you" is one of the song's many gifts.

Songs like this feel alive to me.

It's daunting to interpret such a canonised work and the original certainly didn't need to be added to or taken away from.

So with the utmost respect, here are the efforts of three friends who live on the other side of the world from this remarkable artist, celebrating her work with work of our own.

You can listen to Tim's version here: https://soundcloud.com/benabraham/hyperballad-with-tim-shiel

Hyperballad with Luke Howard

Songs from the Arc of Life

Tango Jalousie

I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got

Silent Night (Long Version)

We took some Christmas standards in our own direction to give you some new sounds for your Holiday season. Enjoy and Happy Holidays. 

Out now on Spotify, Bandcamp, & more...

Spotify: hyperurl.co/0z1j7a
Amazon: hyperurl.co/0eb3c8
iTunes: hyperurl.co/h02us5
Google Play: hyperurl.co/o48epn
Bandcamp: hyperurl.co/iznhzl

Solsbury Hill

Wild

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