Gifts of Light, by Spell Songs

Gifts of Light

by Spell Songs

supported by

Minina Catt This music collection feels like home.

Harri Karvonen Spell songs - best artists together, what more can you expect?

candalee Songs connecting to the deepest part of my soul that I had lost, forgotten, now awakening Favorite track: The Lost Words Blessing (Live).

mark_woodman Wonderful memories of amazing performances. We attended the Symphony Hall concert and streamed the Hintze Hall concert - a ray of light and hope during lockdown. Most of all this album recalls one of the most outstanding concerts we ever attended, the performance of the first album (long before it was released) at Town Hall, Birmingham. No one there had any idea what to expect. The Lost Words Blessing followed by a standing ovation from the whole audience, will stay with me forever.

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1.	Bird of the Blizzard (Live) 05:04	buy track
2.	Thrift - Dig In, Dig In (Live) 03:22	buy track
3.	Red is Your Art (Live) 04:29	buy track
4.	Otter (Live) 04:17	buy track
5.	Charm On, Goldfinch (Live) 04:28	buy track
6.	Heartwood (Live) 03:03	buy track
7.	Curlew (Live) 04:28	buy track
8.	Little Astronaut (Live) 03:42	buy track
9.	Heron (Live) 04:01	buy track
10.	The Lost Words Blessing (Live) 03:43	buy track

about

Gifts of Light is the new album from Spell Songs, a live record produced during the Spell Songs 2022 Spring tour at Birmingham Symphony Hall and within the Hintze Hall of the Natural History Museum in 2021.

“It’s not easy to paint with an audience. Learning the shape of an otter is like learning music. Repetition and looking, looking and learning, as the words and the shape of the otter fit together with the rhythm of the music, and it seems as if something magical is happening”

This is a quote from the Lost Words artist Jackie Morris, the honorary eighth member of the Spell Songs band. In contrast to the peace of her coastal studio, Jackie finds herself up on the stages of some of the UK’s finest concert halls, conjuring creatures from paint and speaking their spells. Recorded live at the Birmingham Symphony Hall, Jackie and the Otter track feature for the first time on this special digital live album.

“One of the best live experiences I’ve ever seen…” Chris Proctor, Head of Programming, Birmingham Town Hall and Symphony Hall

Music for the Gifts of Light album was also recorded at the Natural History Museum during a special livestreamed event, with a unique message of respect for nature at its core, which raised just over £105,000 for the museum’s ambitious Urban Nature Project. Spell Songs performed their poignant music, art and poetry beneath ‘Hope’, the magnificent blue whale skeleton that is currently suspended high up in the breath-taking space of the Hintze Hall.

“To hear Spell Songs’ music reverberating through the Natural History Museum was a moment of pure joy. It was a truly incredible experience” Katy Payne, Head of Special Events at the Natural History Museum.

As well as the venues documented in Gifts of Light, the Spell Singers have performed to audiences across the UK from Folk by the Oak Festival (who commissioned Spell Songs), to Southbank’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Hay International Literary Festival and The Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC’s Lost Words Prom in 2019.

We hope this live album captures the essence of the powerful charge that is created during their live shows; demonstrated by the fact each concert has been blessed with a standing ovation and with a heart-warming mixture of tears, laughter, and smiles.

“… one of the most sublime evenings you will ever enjoy. The magic of these superstars onstage - the art, the music, the sheer, ravishing beauty of the language... one of the greatest concerts we've ever had at Hay. Long, rapturous standing ovation. People weeping for joy” Hay International Literary Festival

Our live shows are a golden opportunity to sing nature back to life!

credits

released December 1, 2023

Jackie Morris - Author/Illustrations
Robert Macfarlane - Author
Beth Porter - Voice, Cello
Jim Molyneux - Voice, Piano, Percussion
Julie Fowlis - Voice, Whistle, Percussion
Karine Polwart - Voice, Tenor, Harmonium, Bass
Kris Drever - Voice, Guitars, Bass
Rachel Newton - Voice, Harp, Viola
Seckou Keita - Voice, Kora
Andy Bell - Producer, Engineer, Mix
Sam Proctor - Mastering
Elly Lucas - Photography
Adam & Caroline Slough - Project Managers

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about

Spell Songs Sheffield, UK

Spell Songs is a musical evolution of both The Lost Words & The Lost Spells books by acclaimed author Robert Macfarlane and illustrator Jackie Morris; a listening experience that intersects music, literature, language and art, as a call to reawaken our love of the wild.

Spell Singers are Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis, Seckou Keita, Kris Drever, Rachel Newton, Beth Porter and Jim Molyneux. ... more

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