The visionary artist Björk has officially announced the upcoming release of Björk Orkestral with the Hamrahlíð Choir. This highly anticipated live album, which documents her intimate 2021 concert series in Iceland, is scheduled for release on November 27. Fans can look forward to a comprehensive physical release, including LP, CD, Blu-ray, and DVD formats, with pre-orders currently available.

The performance was captured on October 24, 2021, at the iconic Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík. This event served as a centerpiece for one of four ‘Orkestral’ shows that Björk staged that year. Moving away from the elaborate, high-concept staging of her previous global tours, these performances focused on stripped-back arrangements, highlighting the raw power of human voices and acoustic instrumentation. The series featured over 100 Icelandic musicians, with proceeds benefiting Kvennaathvarfið, a vital women’s shelter in Reykjavík.

This particular evening saw Björk collaborating with the Hamrahlíð Choir, conducted by the ensemble’s founder, Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir. The setlist featured a deep dive into her catalog, including a performance of her 2004 album Medúlla—a record famously constructed almost entirely from human vocal textures—alongside reimagined versions of tracks like “Hidden Place,” “Cosmogony,” “Unravel,” and “New World.”

Björk’s history with the choir runs deep; she is a former member of the Hamrahlíð College Choir, which Ingólfsdóttir established in 1967. Their professional partnership has flourished over the years, with the choir contributing to her 2017 album Utopia and joining her on the expansive Cornucopia tour.

Reflecting on the project, Björk noted that the extended rehearsal periods necessitated by the pandemic allowed her to explore the delicate balance between vocal arrangements and electronic elements. “For me, it is a philosophical matter, how nature and technology can coexist amicably,” she shared. She added that the shows provided a rare opportunity to revisit and refine older songs that she felt she hadn’t yet fully mastered for a live setting.

Tracklist: Björk Orkestral with the Hamrahlíð Choir

• “Pleasure Is All Mine”
• “Hidden Place”
• “Cosmogony”
• “Sonnets / Unrealities XI”
• “Unravel”
• “Vertebræ by Vertebræ”
• “Who Is It”
• “Mouth’s Cradle”
• “Where Is the Line”
• “New World”