Bleep

The Deutsche Grammophon label (in collaboration with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble) is finally releasing an unrecorded composition by the late composer Jóhann Jóhannsson entitled Drone Mass. Alongside the vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices, the ACME do a marvellous job of realising the Icelandic visionary’s goal of a “contemporary oratorio”. While the string and voice sections do at times wonderfully recall minimalists like Arvo Pärt, Jóhhansson seamlessly incorporated his sorts of signature electronic textures and motifs, making for a richly layered and evocative piece of contemporary classical. Who better than some of his closest collaborators to bring that vision to wax.