''Distant Light'' is an album by American soprano

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

. It was released on January 20, 2017, by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

Critical reception

Richard Morrison of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' described ''Distant Light'' as an "ambitious album" featuring "superbly reimagined arrangements" by

Hans Ek Hans Ek (born 1964 in Uppsala, Sweden), is a conductor and arranger working in the meeting between classical music, jazz, pop and folk music. He has worked with symphony orchestras in Sweden, as well as in Norway, Denmark, Britain, Canada, Lithua ...

that "show how much stylistic overlap exists between experimental pop and postmodern classical". ''

Gulf News ''Gulf News'' is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. First launched in 1978, it is distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf countries. Its online edition was launched in 1996. Thro ...

'' described Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" as "a perfect fit for Fleming's silvery, soaring soprano". They also noted the "textured, emotional soundscape" of Hillborg's ''The Strand Settings'' and the "contemporary" sound of Björk's songs. Alexandra Coghlan of ''

Limelight Limelight (also known as Drummond light or calcium light)James R. Smith (2004). ''San Francisco's Lost Landmarks'', Quill Driver Books. is a non-electric type of stage lighting that was once used in theatres and music halls. An intense illum ...

'' magazine stated that the album plays out like "a coherent and convincing recital programme" that "quietly dissolves divisions between genres to rather wonderful effect". David Patrick Stearns of ''

Gramophone A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...

'' magazine described ''Distant Light'' as a "haphazard" collection of music, where Barber and Björk struggle to sit alongside Hillborg's song cycle. ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

'' opined that Fleming's performance of "Knoxville: Summer of 1915" was "long overdue" but "misses the mark" due to conductor Sakari Oramo's "inconsistent" tempo and phrasing.

Track listing

#" Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24" (

Samuel Barber Samuel Osmond Barber II (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, conductor (music), conductor, baritone, and music educator, and one of the most celebrated composers of the mid-20th century. Principally influenced ...

) – 15:29 #"The Strand Settings: 1. Black Sea" (

Anders Hillborg Per Anders Hillborg (born 31 May 1954) is one of Sweden’s leading composers. Education Anders Hillborg was born in Sollentuna, and studied composition, counterpoint and electronic music at the Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm from 1976 t ...

) – 4:17 #"The Strand Settings: 2. Dark Harbor XX" (Hillborg) – 5:08 #"The Strand Settings: 3. Dark Harbor XXXV" (Hillborg) – 5:25 #"The Strand Settings: 4. Dark Harbor XI" (Hillborg) – 5:40 #"Virus" (

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Sjón image:Sjon litteratureXchange-2019 DSC09264.jpg, 260px, Sjón at LiteratureXchange Festival ín Aarhus (Denmark 2019) Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (born 27 August 1962), known as Sjón ( ; ; meaning "sight" and being an abbreviation of his firs ...

) – 4:19 #"Jóga" (Björk, Sjón) – 4:32 #"All Is Full of Love" (Björk) – 3:12 #"Undo" (Björk,

Thomas Knak Thomas Knak is a Danish electronic musician who has also produced work under the name Opiate. He worked with Björk on her ''Vespertine'' album and has produced remixes for Bomb the Bass and Coldcut. He also produced original music for the 2003 ...

) – 5:17

Charts

References

{{Authority control Renée Fleming albums 2017 albums Decca Records albums Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra albums Albums conducted by Sakari Oramo