Penelope Trappes has shared plans for new album ‘A Requiem’.
A potent name in British experimental music, Penelope Trappes has released some imposing work. Her acclaimed trilogy, ‘Penelope One’, ‘Two’ and ‘Three’, on fabric’s Houndstooth label, stands out but in truth there’s an entire cosmos to explore.
New album ‘A Requiem’ was built from the ground up – relocating to Scotland and working by candlelight, she allowed herself to drift from instrument to instrument, being drawn to what her soul desired.
Recorded at Clayton Lane Studio in Glasgow, new album ‘A Requiem’ emerges from an incredibly personal space. “I was looking for an equilibrium between a ‘heaven’ and a ‘hell’” she explains, “screaming out to the wisdom of our foremothers – surfacing and leading me into true strength and beauty. I listened to the sorrow closely. Death is a part of our reality. Inevitable. Omnipresent. But nightmares can be beautiful”.
Utilising the cello as a core instrument, Penelope Trappes opens her account with new song ‘Sleep’ – the eerie, Baroque flourishes signalling the conceptual knocking of death’s door.
The composer continues: “It’s infinitely hard to even sing these words as it’s such a conflicting thing to think about – an oddly indifferent longing for your parents’ life to come to a close, for them to peacefully escape their pain and be released. Musically the sound was heavier and more gut-wrenching than I have ever sounded before. It was a drastic and extreme purge of emotion”.
The full video was directed by Agnes Haus, and features revered British actresses Maxine Peake and Kate Dickie.
Tune in now.
Tracklist
- Bandorai
- Platinum
- Second Spring
- Sleep
- Anchor Us To Seabed Floor
- Red Dove
- Caro
- A Requiem
- Torc
- Thou Art Mortal
Photo Credit: Jason Renaud
