Erland Cooper, described as the ‘Banksy of classical music’, went to particularly unusual lengths to produce his classical album, Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence.
After making the record three years ago, he deleted all the digital copies and buried a tape underground in Orkney, where he grew up, and invited his fans to follow a trail of clues to find it.
It was eventually found more than a year later by a couple who examined the rock formations in pictures Erland had revealed.
A meditation on value and patience in a world of instant gratification, it is a truly singular work of art. And it turns out, lots of other people agreed, with the album having reached number one in the classical music chart after being released last month.
The Scottish composer said he wanted people to hear how the sound of the record had been manipulated by the soil over time, and the effect was apparently so profound that he even credited the earth as a co-composer.
‘In early 2021, I planted the only existing recording of a new work deep in the soil of Orkney,’ Erland said.
‘The master tape was buried with a violin, the full score, a letter in a biscuit tin & a special stone marking the spot. A treasure hunt of clues was revealed for you to search if so wished.
‘In late 2022, my tape was found by Victoria and Dan Rhodes. They discovered it by understanding the poetry of the work and examining the physical rock formations in photos I revealed.’
Erland wrote the music three years ago with chamber string group Studio Collective and violinist Daniel Pioro. After the tape was dug up on Orkney, the album was performed to the public for the first time in London’s Barbican Hall in June 2024.
The album was then released in September 2024, exactly as it sounded, after lying underground for more than a year, and went on to top the charts – an achievement that comes with its own trophy.
And in a fitting tribute to the whole process, Erland has buried it underground at another secret location saying whoever finds the award first can keep it.
‘I think poet George Mackay Brown would be rather tickled by this,’ Erland said.
‘I know he had a deep connection to community, landscape and the music of it all, so to celebrate nature’s wild contribution to composition and the resilience of both, is a glorious thing.
‘I’ve so much gratitude to everyone listening and buying this record, even had it emerged from the soil as silence. Huge thanks to my record label for being so bold and supportive.
‘A win for Orkney, nature and the seedlings of ideas. May the words and music fly high and dive deep like a gannet. For the islands we sing.’
Tom Lewis, co-president of record label Decca added: ‘Erland is the Banksy of classical music. He brilliantly and fearlessly melds the worlds of composition and performance art.
‘This is his greatest and riskiest work yet, and to think that it could have all disintegrated before any of us heard a note. That’s audacious.’
Erland will tour in October and November, with dates in the UK, Europe and the US. Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence is released by Mercury KX.
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