Completely unexpectedly and without prior announcement, yet another symphonic song is now being released, sung by Elin Brimheim Heinesen. On December 1 this year, Elin released the complete symphonic album “Eitt dýpi av dýrari tíð” with songs she has composed to poems by her father, Jens Paula Heinesen. But now an additional symphonic piece is being released, also sung by her, which no one knew about. This time it is a Christmas song called “Jólafriður á jørð” by the Italian composer Enzo De Rosa.
Elin Brimheim Heinesen has previously collaborated with Enzo De Rosa on her album “Eitt dýpi av dýrari tíð”. Enzo has composed the new Christmas song, which is also recorded with a symphony orchestra and with Elin as the vocal soloist, as well as eight little girls – all around 10–11 years old – from the Eysturskúlin Girls’ Choir, conducted by Joanna Johansen. Elin herself has adapted the original English lyrics for the song.
Honored His Son With a Christmas Song About Peace on Earth
This is how Enzo De Rosa explains how the song came to be: My son Leonardo was born on November 11th, 2011. To mark this joyful occasion, I asked my dear friend and songwriter, Paul Oxley, to participate by writing lyrics for a song I composed for the event. The aim was to convey the profound meaning of this moment in connection with the time of year. The Christmas season is a time when all humans should remember to be one united people. The snow that blankets the edges of houses, cities, and nations conceals boundaries, reminding everyone that limits are merely imaginary and serve only to divide. This fall I asked composer and singer Elin Brimheim Heinesen from the Faroe Islands, whom I have worked with before on another project, if she could translate my song to her native language – Faroese – and sing it in Faroese. She did so and we made the recordings in november 2023. Elin also found a choir of 8 girls, aged 10-11 years, to sing the backing vocals. This song is very dear to me, so I am grateful that now we can present it to the public in a beautiful symphonic form.
Is Very Fond of the Faroese Language
That autumn, Enzo De Rosa decided to make a symphonic recording of the Christmas song with Elin as vocal soloist. He asked her if she could write lyrics in Faroese, because he is very fond of the Faroese language and thinks it sounds so beautiful. As Enzo puts it: “It sounds like an ancient echo from times long past.” Elin explains:
“Enzo De Rosa is an exceptionally talented musician and composer who, over the last 40 years, has worked with countless musicians and singers all over the world. So I feel it is a great honour that Enzo approached me and entrusted me both with writing the lyrics and singing the Christmas song he composed for his son. It means a lot to me.”
Faroese Girls’ Choir Sings Together With Elin
Elin got in touch with Joanna Johansen to have the Eysturskúlin Girls’ Choir sing together with her on the release. The vocal and orchestral recordings took place at the end of November this year. Enzo himself mixed the orchestral music, while the Faroese music producer Bárður Háberg recorded and mixed the vocals by Elin and the girls’ choir. The orchestral part was recorded by the Moscow Metropolitan Session Orchestra, conducted by Vladimir Podgoretsky. The mastering was done by Alex Gordon at Abbey Road Studios.
These people took part in the production of “Jólafriður á jørð”:
On Apple Music here:
And on other digital media platforms here:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/enzoderosa2/jlafriur–jr-feat-elin-brimheim-heinesen-faroese-version
