Susanna Wallumrød really, really loves the work of the French romantic poet Charles Baudelaire. In 2020, the Norwegian chamber-pop artist released Baudelaire & Piano, an album that set Baudelaire’s work to music. Susanna kept going with the Baudelaire adaptations on her 2022 LP Elevation, and now she’s announced that she’ll complete the trilogy with a new album called Baudelaire & Orchestra.

Baudelaire & Orchestra is exactly what it says on the label. Susanna continues to adapt Baudelaire’s poetry — mostly the same texts that she already adapted on Baudelaire & Piano. This time, she’s recorded the album with KORK orchestra, the adventurous radio orchestra for Norway’s national broadcaster NRK. Jarle G. Storløkken arranged the music, with composer Jan Martin Smørdal adding some contributions. First single “Obsession” sounds vast, and it gives lots of room to Susanna’s tremendous voice.

In a press release, Susanna says:

I’ve been wanting to develop this material since the first Baudelaire album. There’s a bit more complexity in the harmonies and the rhythms than you can hear in the bare piano arrangements. I think these songs have become even more accessible in these orchestral versions, and I hope many more people will be able to enjoy the music.

Below, listen to “Obsession” and check out the Baudelaire & Orchestra tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Sarcophagi”
02 “Obsession”
03 “The Ghost”
04 “Burial”
05 “Heavy Sleep”
06 “Destruction”
07 “Rewind”
08 “Longing for Nothingness,”
09 “Alchemy Of Suffering”
10 “Elevation”
11 “The Vampire”

Baudelaire & Orchestra is out 7/28 on Susanna’s own SusannaSonata label.