"From sea pink to the shimmer of the aurora polaris, in Orkney the light shifts so many times a day, you rarely see the same view twice." - Erland Cooper
This recently recorded 4-track EP is Erland's second collaboration with the renowned vocal ensemble, Shards. It will be accompanied by a video capturing an evening of the recording at Erland's London studio, shot by long-time collaborator Alex Kozobolis.
Egilsay, named after one of the smaller northern isles in the archipelago of Orkney, is the follow up to 2020's collaboration with Shards, the Eynhallow EP. For this release, the experimental vocal ensemble expand on Erland's compositions with this absorbing and contemplative piece of work, meditating on the theme of shifting time & light.
Time can mend anything
Except today
Lay on your side
And dream the world away
The night will come and go
We'll have tomorrow in the sun
Erland Cooper explains, "Song titles are words associated with changing light in local dialect and the cover artwork is a still photograph at dusk of reflections over sand and sea - a hopeful glimmer of tiny, growing estuaries among dark sand patterns. Water and light always find their way to the surface".
As with his previous Shards collaboration, which was released last festive season, the EP closes with a poem version, on this new EP Paris-based composer, conductor and arranger, Uèle Lamore & Scottish artist Kathryn Joseph nod back to Erland's previous work with words by Keats, a variation framed but resonating in a different setting.