Posthumous album releases don’t always get the best press. Cobbled together from demo tapes, outtakes or incomplete projects, they often strike as attempts by an artist’s estate to keep the flame (and associated income streams) alive.

There are projects that transcend that generalisation, however. Banbirrngu – The Orchestral Sessions, in which a suite of songs by the late Yolgnu songman Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu have been remixed and given new orchestral accompaniment, feels less like a posthumous release and more like a continuation of a life’s work.

Produced by Gurrumul’s long-time collaborator Michael Hohnen, the album’s string arrangements were created by the Finnish-Australian composer Erkki Veltheim, whose association with Gurrumul dates back to the early days of the singer’s career, before his hit eponymous debut album captured the attention of listeners across the world.

Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. Photo © 6 Seasons Productions

A blind Gumatj man from Arnhem Land in Australia’s remote north, Gurrumul predominantly sung in his native Yolngu languages. His recordings earned multiple ARIA awards and international acclaim for their distinctive, ethereal beauty.

“I first worked with Gurrumul back in about 2005 when he did a live-to-air session from the Sydney Opera House Studio,”...