Björk and The Brodsky Quartet at the Union Chapel
Acoustic concert by Björk | |
Location | Islington, London, U.K. |
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Venue | Union Chapel |
Start date | 9 December 1999 |
End date | 11 December 1999 |
Björk concert chronology |
In December 1999, Icelandic avant-pop singer
Background and early collaborations
Björk first approached the Brodsky Quartet in 1995, eager for them to rearrange one of her songs.[2] The string quartet chose “Hyperballad” from Björk’s newest album at the time, Post. The remix was first released as a b-side on the singer’s 1995 single, “It's Oh So Quiet”, before being featured on Björk’s 1996 remix album, Telegram. The Brodsky’s version of “Hyperballad” was later included in the quartet’s 1999 compilation, Best of Brodsky Quartet.[3]
The following year, the Brodsky served as opening and supporting act on select UK dates of Björk’s
Also in 1997, Björk, the Brodsky, and German DJ/musician Alec Empire of Atari Teenage Riot collaborated on an EP which was to feature four tracks: "April", "5 Years", "Sod Off", and "Joga".[6] An article from TRACK Magazine from 1 September 1997 quotes Björk as saying, "I love what Alec Empire did on Nicolette's album so much that I finally sent him four tracks featuring the Brodsky Quartet."[7] News about this planned EP continued into the year 2000 when it was reported that the EP was nearing completion with a targeted release date of late 2000. Empire told NME, "It’s been planned since last summer and now I want to nail it down over the next two or three weeks. What I’m trying to do is find a good balance between what I do and what [the Brodsky Quartet] do...and Bjork’s very powerful voice, the main thing is to find a balance."[8] But by early 2001, it was reported that the release of the EP was pushed back[9][10] and to this day it has never been released.
As a thank you to
Songs known to have been performed that night include “It’s Oh So Quiet”, “Hunter”, “Jóga”, popular jazz standard “My Funny Valentine”, and a cover of “Anyone Who Had a Heart”, written by Burt Bacharach and originally recorded by Dionne Warwick.[4] A release of this concert never materialized.
Union Chapel shows
A year after the Bristol show, Björk and the Brodsky Quartet performed two sold out concerts at London’s Union Chapel on 9 and 11 December 1999. Again, Björk and the quartet performed without direct microphone amplification. Microphones were instead placed overhead to capture the performance, and the stage was lit entirely by candlelight.[11] Björk appeared on stage in a pink Comme des Garçons gingham dress and leggings,[11] barefoot, and according to one review seemed “frightened of making too much noise in the consecrated surroundings.”[12] Björk debuted a new song, “I’ve Seen It All”,[12] which would be nominated for an Oscar in 2001 for best original song from the film musical, Dancer In the Dark, in which she starred.
The Brodsky arranged additional songs for Björk at the Union Chapel. Among the new additions was
Björk again covered “Anyone Who Had Heart” with the Brodsky[15] and added Petula Clark’s popular 60s hit, “Downtown”,[11] which was considered an evening highlight.[12] In total, the Brodsky arranged 23 songs specifically for Björk, including “My Funny Valentine” which was only performed at the December 1998 concert in Bristol. The two Elvis Costello covers (“Who Do You Think You Are” and “Why”) were originally co-written with the Brodsky Quartet for Costello’s studio album, The Juliet Letters, and the quartet performed the same arrangements. The Brodsky’s rendition of the jazz standard, “Like Someone In Love” featured on Björk’s Debut album, was heralded as “sublime” by The Independent[12] and began with an extract from Johann Sebastian Bach’s first cello suite. Björk’s hit cover of “It’s Oh So Quiet” playfully began with the Brodsky performing “Silent Night” for string quartet before Björk shushed the room in the 1995 hit song’s signature sound.[11]
Of her original material, the Brodsky rearranged, among others, “Unravel” and “All Neon Like” from 1997’s Homogenic. The Brodsky’s versions of Björk’s “5 Years” and “The Modern Things” were praised by the press,[12] with the latter being considered an evening turning point where both vocalist and string quartet “develop into a coherent whole”.[12]
In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Brodsky member Paul Cassidy was extremely complimentary of Björk’s vocal technique, saying, “I can’t think of anything like it in any form of music... For instance in “
A note posted at the venue during both nights notified attendees of “LIVE FILMING – AT THE UNION CHAPEL, ISLINGTON, LONDON” and continued with, “Your presence here today constitutes your express consent to the filming and recording of your likeness for use in the above mentioned film.”[17] Though both nights were recorded, the concerts have never seen a proper release. A live CD was rumored in the summer of 2000[18] but the release never materialized. 9 songs were eventually released on Family Tree, a box set featuring rare and unreleased material from the first 10 years of Björk’s solo career. However, not all of these tracks are from the Union Chapel gigs; some of the songs are studio recordings made with the Brodsky in 2000 as per info supplied in the liner notes. Some 10 years later, Björk and the Brodsky’s version of “Gotham Lullaby” was released on the compilation Monk Mix, a collection of remixes and interpretations of the music of Meredith Monk.
Setlists
9 December 1999[19]
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11 December 1999[20]
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Further collaborations
Björk and the Brodsky Quartet continued their collaboration into the 2000s. Together in 1999, the two acts commissioned a new piece from British composer John Tavener called “Prayer of the Heart”.[21] The Brodsky contacted Tavener to write something for Björk after she revealed to them how much she enjoyed the composer’s work. Said Tavener about the idea of writing for the Icelandic star, "I don't see why not. She's far more intelligent than most classical singers."[22] Björk described the collaboration as “magical” and “fifty times more than I already had dreamed of”. The 15-minute composition premiered in 2003 at the first major London exhibition of American photographer Nan Goldin entitled Devil’s Playground, specifically in a slide show portion called “Heart Beat”. The exhibit was hosted at The Whitechapel Gallery from 24 January – 31 March 2003. The song was later featured in a double CD compilation entitled, John Tavener – A Portrait.[23] In the album’s liner notes, Tavener described Björk’s voice as “raw, primordial” and admitted he “was very attracted to this sound… [The composition] couldn’t possibly be sung by anybody else but her.”[17]
In 2007, Björk supplied the mono-syllabic voice of the main character in the short film, Anna and the Moods, which was commissioned by the Brodsky Quartet. Music for the film was written by Julian Nott while the film itself was written by the Icelandic poet, Sjón, a frequent collaborator of Björk’s.
To this day, the Brodsky Quartet continues to perform Björk’s compositions during their concerts.[24]
Reception
Björk’s concerts at the Union Chapel received universal acclaim by the London press. Writing for The Guardian, critic Maddy Costa dubbed it “A heavenly experience” and said, “Reviews can’t do Björk justice; listening to her records can’t prepare you for the scintillating wonder of her voice,” and that the singer “emits such indescribable sounds.” Costa also noted how inventive Björk has been in recreating her old songs live and complimented the Brodsky in this regard: “For all their sensible demeanour, The Brodskys are as mischievous as Björk.” She ended her review by saying, “I’ll still be talking about this when I’m 73.”[11]
Fiona Sturges of
The Union Chapel itself has described Björk’s concerts at their venue as “one of the most legendary of Union Chapel gigs!”[25]
Cancelled live album
Several news outlets at the time reported that the Union Chapel concerts were scheduled for a live CD release[18][9] which never materialized. However, a work-in-progress reference CDr has made its way into the collector's market and gives a glimpse into what a live album would have looked like. The reported inclusion of Petula Clark's "Downtown"[18] is missing from this reference disc.
- At the Union Chapel (Unreleased CD)
- "Unravel" — 3:35
- "All Neon Like" — 5:05
- "Cover Me" — 2:47
- "Gotham Lullaby" — 3:53
- "Come to Me" — 2:54
- "Who Do You Think You Are" — 3:04
- "The Modern Things" — 3:43
- "Hyperballad" — 3:49
- "Like Someone In Love" — 3:30
- "Why" — 1:34
- "Possibly Maybe" — 4:52
- "The Anchor Song" — 3:42
- "The Anchor Song - Edit" — 0:29
- "Bachelorette" — 4:46
- "You've Been Flirting Again" — 2:31
- "Hunter" — 4:19
- "Bachelorette" — 5:38
- "Hunter - Edit Section" — 0:54
- "All Neon Like" — 5:05
- "Hyperballad" — 4:03
While no full length release ever materialized, some
Track listing
This list contains all known official releases featuring Björk and the Brodsky Quartet at the Union Chapel material. Since all are compilations, tracks in italics indicate songs recorded at the Union Chapel.
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References
- ^ "Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet". The Guardian. 24 April 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Collabs". brodskyquartet.
- ^ "The Brodsky Quartet - Best of Brodsky Quartet". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Johnson, Phil (8 December 1998). "Ice queen without equal". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "Björk wins Nordic Council Music Prize (1997) + Hyperballad live snippet". YouTube. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ Moss, Morey (25 March 2000). "BJÖRK FINISHING UP SOUNDTRACK". Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "L'Après Post". Björk.fr.
- ^ "BJORK AND ALEC SAY 'SOD OFF'!". 23 March 2000. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ a b "BJORK'S BACK". 28 December 2000. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ Girardot, Yaël (2 January 2001). "Nouvel album pour Björk en mai". Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Costa, Maddy (10 December 1999). "A heavenly experience". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sturges, Fiona (15 December 1999). "Strung out on the sublime". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ Mackay, Emily (20 November 2017). "The Strange World Of... Björk". Thequietus.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ a b "Gotham Lullaby--Shiny Battery". shinybattery.sugarcube.net.
- ^ Nelson, Sean (29 March 2018). "Who Sang It Best? The "Anyone Who Had a Heart" Olympics". Thestranger.com. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- ^ "union chapel". www.shinybattery.sugarcube.net.
- ^ a b "all things brodsky--tavener". www.shinybattery.sugarcube.net.
- ^ a b c "The Chapel of Live!". Nme.com. 12 June 2000. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "Union Chapel". Björk.fr.
- ^ "Union Chapel". Björk.fr.
- ^ "Prayer of the Heart". Abc.net.au. 16 April 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "John Tavener: 'I had that Bjork round last night'". The Guardian. 27 December 1999. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
- ^ "TAVENER: John Tavener - A Portrait (MCCLEERY)". Naxos.
- ^ "Brodsky Quartet: St Georges Bristol". December 17, 2010.
- ^ "St Georges Bristol". Retrieved 6 January 2020.