With a contemporary tonal language combined with inspiration from music and words of the past, Sunleif Rasmussen has created two works that each in their own way revolve around the spiritual and mythological, drawing the listener into a mysterious world of ancient tales.

Songs of Solitude was recorded by the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices, the innovative baroque orchestra Concerto Copenhagen, recorder virtuoso Michala Petri and conductor Paul Hillier, and will be released digitally on Friday 28 February. Pre-save the album here and listen to a single below as you read on.

A mythological underworld

Songs of Solitude and Night is shrouded in a mythical atmosphere and draws on stories from a distant past The first part of the work uses texts from The Elder Edda, which dates back to the Viking Age. Rasmussen sets the mythological poems to music with the mysterious sound of a bass recorder, percussion instruments and wordless glissando singing.

In the second part, William Heinsen's poem Hogboy comes to life in a dramatic tale of a spirit inhabiting a stone-age tomb in Orkney. Women's voices embody the girls dancing in the moonlight around the tomb, while the men give voice to the ominous darkness of the underworld.

The work is dedicated to Paul Hillier and Theatre of Voices, recorded together with the renowned recorder solist Michala Petri.

The search for light

Sunleif Rasmussen's cantata Klar op vort mod, lys for vor fod (‘Stoke our courage, light our feet’) also relates to the music and words of the past: Written for soprano, baritone, choir and baroque ensemble, the work draws its structure from Bach's cantatas.

The cantata searches for the light and evokes strong feelings of community and love. Inspired by Gregorian chant and Baroque music, Rasmussen creates a modern work that explores the scope of prayer and the power of community.