Erland Cooper, described as the ‘Banksy of classical music’, went to particularly unusual lengths to produce his classical album, Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence

When composer Erland Cooper released his new classical album, Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence, The Scotsman was intrigued by its highly unusual production techniques.

For, after recording the music, Copper deleted all the digital copies, leaving a tape which he buried underground at a secret location in Orkney, where he grew up. Fans were then invited to follow a trail of clues to find it and the tape was finally dug up more than a year later.

Erland Cooper has buried his Official Number 1 album award for Carve The Runes Then Be Content With Silence at an undisclosed location (Picture: Erland Cooper) | PA

The effect of this long period planted in the soil was apparently so profound that the earth was credited as a co-composer. After listening to the result, The Scotsman declared it was “genuinely beautiful”. Turns out, lots of other people agreed, with the album having now reached number one in the classical music chart.

This achievement comes with its own trophy, which we are delighted to hear that Cooper – described as the “Banksy of classical music” by one record industry mogul – has buried underground at another secret location. It will belong to whomsoever finds it first.

As we said before: bonkers, wonderful, and wonderfully bonkers.

Why Erland Cooper's wonderfully bonkers 'earth music' deserves No. 1 spot more than most

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