North Passage III - Unknowable

1st CD issue, limited to 100 hand-numbered copies. Comes as two black CDr in a 6-panel digipack. Text from inner flap: "The 'North Passage' trilogy is a homage to the courageous journeys of William Barentsz (1550-1597) across the Arctic Circle. William Barentsz' career as am explorer was mostly motivated by his search for the Northeast Passage, looking for a shorter way to trade with China. He believed that this passage must exist as a clear and open area. With 24 hours sunshine per day, he felt sure the ice from the north of Siberia would melt and would therefore create an open space for trading. His three voyages led him to Bear Island, Spitsbergen, Novaya Zemlya and other islands situated across the Arctic Ocean. This part of the Arctic Ocean north of Norway and Russia was therefore renamed as Barents Sea. During the course of the third journey, which proved to be extremely cold and hard, William Barentsz died, aged 47. It was never discovered whether he is buried at sea or on the coast of Novaya Zemlya. The location of Barentsz' wintering on the ice floes has become a tourist destination for icebreaker cruises operating from Murmansk. The music on the complete trilogy is meant as a tribute to his life's work and seeks to evoke the memory of the historical ships built to cruise across the arctic regions."