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Björk unveils U.S. tour dates to back 'Vespertine'
Björk , who is set to kick off a world tour in Paris later this month, has added a series of October U.S. performances to her itinerary. The singer’s outing--which will support her forthcoming album, “Vespertine”--is booked into opera houses and theaters, and will feature a 54-piece orchestra.
Along with the Il Novecento Orchestra (conducted by Simon Lee), Björk’s accompaniment will include electronica act Matmos, noted avant-garde harpist Zeena Parkins, an Inuit girls choir from Greenland and a throat singer from Northern Canada’s Victoria Island, according to Elektra Records.
Björk has assembled the eclectic group of artists to “reproduce [‘Vespertine’] as faithfully as possible,” according to an Elektra press release. Set to hit U.S. stores on Aug. 28, “Vespertine” is described in the release as a “mix of bleeding edge electronica, lush orchestration and choral voices.”
In addition to her opera-house and theater concerts, Björk plans to perform a series of dates for audiences of only 300 people per show, during which she will sing without a microphone. Details about these intimate performances will be announced on the same day that each takes place.
In May, Björk performed for an audience of 300 at New York City’s Riverside Church.
Before backing Björk each night, Matmos--a.k.a. Martin Schmidt and Andrew Daniel--will also perform a half-hour opening set. The duo appears on the Icelandic singer’s upcoming album, as does Parkins.
A DVD single for “Hidden Place,” the first single from “Vespertine,” is scheduled to hit U.S. stores on Aug. 14. The song’s music video was shot in London in February, and can be viewed at the singer’s official website.
“Vespertine” is the follow-up to last year’s “Selma Songs,” the soundtrack for the film “Dancer in the Dark,” which featured Björk in the lead role. The singer was named Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance.
