Anecdote
L’O2 Arena est la plus grande salle dans laquelle Björk a proposé son spectacle Cornucopia
Presse
Almost uniquely for an arena show of this size, the audience of thousands did not seem one bit short-changed by a set which featured precisely none of the songs that made her famous. Venus As A Boy, now re-rendered as an ethereal flute ballad, and a stirring Isobel were the only appearances from the Scandinavian star’s much-loved 1990s output. In the end, it was difficult to be anything other than agog at the the sheer scale and emotional pull of the most ambitious tour in Bjork’s 40 years in music.
Independent
The spectacle was so relentlessly beautiful it belonged in a gallery. Musically, it was more testing at times. The band format was unique, with a harpist and seven dancing flautists providing most of the backing. During Blissing Me a percussionist hit floating bowls while pouring water. Standard
Undercutting the show’s streamlined spectacle is Björk’s anarchic spirit. Songs such as Utopia and a reworked Mouth’s Cradle feel like they might implode at any point, all zigzagging beats and fluttering flutes, while 1995’s Isobel – which almost elicits relief when it appears mid-set – starts off fairly straight before almost being upended by distorted bass. The main set closes with a run of songs that work through her messy break-up, with the self-explanatory Losss giving way to the anger of Sue Me and the fresh start of Tabula Rasa, a heartfelt plea to her daughter : “Clean plate,” she sings sweetly. “Not repeating the fuck-ups of the fathers.” The Guardian
Fertile imagery conjures the virtual hyperreality of orchids, galaxies, bacteria, faces, forests, fungi and foetuses. It is the most immersive and intoxicating visual experience I have experienced in such an inorganic space Independent
It was 100 minutes of Björk-ness, an overload of the weird and the wild. In an interview hours before her show, Björk, who is now a grandmother, said she is not really worried about growing older because in her youth her idols were Icelandic writers who produced their best work in their seventies. “Everything else was just a rehearsal,” she said. If this was just a rehearsal for what’s coming next, it’s going to be absolutely mad. Inews
Meticulously planned, wonderfully executed, Björk’s O2 Arena show seemed underline the creative confluents that have fuelled her over the past decade. The utilisation of organic instrumentation – those gorgeous flutes – the combination of the classical and the unexpected, and the commitment to sheer, absolute emotional honesty ; at moments, the sheer, pin-drop silence in the crowd was telling. Tonight, Björk spoke her truth. Clash Music
Despite closing with the devastating Notget, Cornucopia’s message is one of optimism and tunefulness. On one written message that was projected on to the giant laced curtain, Björk states, “Let’s write music for our destination.” For 100 minutes, we were there. Crack
