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Gudmundsson - Windbells (CD + Blu-ray Audio)

£18.15

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Label: Sono Luminus

Cat No: DSL92259

Barcode: 0053479225924

Format: CD + Blu-ray Audio

Number of Discs: 2

Release Date: 9th December 2022

Works

Gudmundsson, Hugi

Brot
Entropy
Equilibrium IV: Windbells
Lux
Songs from Havamal II

Artists

Ashildur Haraldsdottir (flute)
Hildigunnur Einarsdottir (mezzo-soprano)
Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra

Conductors

Asbjorn Ibsen Bruun
Runar Oskarsson

Works

Gudmundsson, Hugi

Brot
Entropy
Equilibrium IV: Windbells
Lux
Songs from Havamal II

Artists

Ashildur Haraldsdottir (flute)
Hildigunnur Einarsdottir (mezzo-soprano)
Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra

Conductors

Asbjorn Ibsen Bruun
Runar Oskarsson

About

“The title piece, Equilibrium IV: Windbells, was the seed this whole album grew from. It was premièred under rather unusual circumstances at the 2005 World Expo in Japan in a venue that more closely resembled a stadium than a concert stage for classical music. I was an integral part of the performance due to the interactive electronics in the piece. We had practiced that I would maintain eye contact with the musicians during performances, just a few meters from the stage. However, the mixer I was operating at the concert was housed in something that resembled an air traffic control tower some 100 meters away from the stage. Or at least it felt that way. From my perspective, the musicians were like tiny ants in one corner of the enormous stage and they could not see me at all. Despite these outlandish circumstances, we somehow managed to perform the piece. It has since become one of my most performed chamber pieces and has received several awards and recognitions. It has never been recorded in a studio up until now. So, after a recent performance with Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, where it received very warm reviews, we decided it was time to do something about it. That snowballed into what is now this album.

“Equilibrium IV: Windbells is the oldest piece on the album, which spans seventeen years of my career. Looking back at this composition now, I almost feel like I’m again in that surreal air traffic control tower in Japan. I can also see early patterns emerging in this relatively early piece. Patterns that echo throughout the album. There are the contrasts of Crumb, the meditativeness of Messiaen and the atmospheric dramaturgy of my uncle and great musical influence Hafliði Hallgrímsson. There are plenty of other influences, and I have long since given up on hiding them or being ashamed of them. On the contrary, I find it fascinating how one composer can plant a seed that germinates within another composer. It is a process as organic and natural as life itself.”

– Hugi Guðmundsson

Reviews

This is the third album to profile Icelandic composer Hugi Guðmundsson, with a fourth on the way in 2023 from Dacapo in Denmark, where he lives. His crystalline music absolutely deserves the exposure and will not waste a second of your time. None of it tries to be clever, which only exposes the brains that underpin it. ... The performances – particularly from flautist Áshildur Haraldsdóttir and the velvety voice of Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir – are highly accomplished and put the music first. Andrew Mellor

Gramophone January 2023