Photos par Santiago Felipe
Critiques
The most memorable moments from this kaleidoscopic sensory experience :
During the new, nearly 10-minute opus “Body Memory,” Bjork stood on a round platform in front of the stage, nearer to the seated crowd of nodding listeners, and down from the rafters lowered a metal ring called “The Circle Flute.” Bjork stood within the ring as four of her seven flutists stood on the outside, each playing one of the four curved and conjoined segments — yes, it was four people playing one whimsical instrument, which only functions if all four are playing in unison.
For “Body Memory,” as well as “Hidden Place” and a revamped, pounding rendition of 2004’s “Mouth’s Cradle,” a sprawling Icelandic chorus called The Hamrahlid Choir took the stage and backed Bjork’s vocal — 50 teenagers all dressed in white and golden headpieces, bopping to the intense pulse. The choir also opened the show, masterfully singing traditional Icelandic folk songs for about 20 minutes.
The experimental Brooklyn musician Serpentwithfeet joined Bjork on stage for a soulful — and more grounded — duet of the new tune “Blissing Me,” which was bolstered by percussionist Manu Delgado standing at a water bath about the size of an ironing board and creating rhythms by pouring bowls of water next to a set of microphones, the liquid splashing to the beat. I was in awe of this innovation above all else.
While “Cornucopia” certainly succeeds in fulfilling its advertisements’ claims of elaboration, there remains a great warmth to the project, not unlike the artful romanticism that has pierced so many of the 50-year-old artist’s records, dating back to the mid ‘90s fan favorites “Debut” and “Post” (“Venus As A Boy” and “Isobel” were both worked into the “Cornucopia” set and met with raucous cheers from the audience).
Anyone can switch on a drum machine, record a few bird sounds and call it art, but Bjork’s innate sense of how this frequencies pair and why they should be paired has elevated her as the true queen of artpop. “Cornucopia” just might be her masterpiece. nj.com
For any lack of a “Hyperballad” or “It’s Oh So Quiet,” though, there were other consolations : the seven-member flute collective that twirled around her for most of the evening like a roving tribe of pastel wood sprites ; the gleaming igloo pod that served as a sort of onstage clubhouse ; the man playing percussion with a series of ladles and handmade drums set inside a plexiglass water tank ; a galvanizing prerecorded speech by Swedish teenager-turned-climate change hero Greta Thunberg. Entertainment Weekly
In the end, Cornucopia sends the crowd back into the night with a chilling call for greater environmental stewardship from 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg (“You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes”) ; a warning from Björk about the necessity of global climate-change pledges like the Paris Agreement ; and a dream of a future where technology and nature can commune as one. For 100 minutes, Cornucopia helps the audience to imagine that world. It is one of the most incredible displays of lights and sounds ever to grace a stage in the city. The Shed won’t erase every qualm New Yorkers have had about the future of Hudson Yards, but a state-of-the-art space in Manhattan for groundbreaking cultural events is a good start. Vulture
