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Windbells

Áshildur Haraldsdóttir (flute), Hugi Guðmundsson (electronics), Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir (mezzo-soprano), Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra

Windbells

Awards:

Guðmundsson is best known for his choral scores, but this excellent album offers a welcome introduction to his instrumental music...Performances throughout are distinct and characterful, but...

Windbells

Áshildur Haraldsdóttir (flute), Hugi Guðmundsson (electronics), Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir (mezzo-soprano), Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra

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Awards:

Guðmundsson is best known for his choral scores, but this excellent album offers a welcome introduction to his instrumental music...Performances throughout are distinct and characterful, but...

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 decid- ed it was time to do something about it. That snowballed into what is now this album.

Contents and tracklist

I. Arrow of Time
Track length2:52
II. Asymmetry of Time
Track length6:30
I. Agitated
Track length4:51
II. Funeral in a Deserted Church
Track length3:00
III. Wind Interrupt
Track length3:16
IV. Foreign
Track length3:50
I. Ostinato
Track length1:44
II. Intermezzo
Track length1:31
III. Chorale
Track length2:50
IV. Intermezzo II
Track length1:55
V. Danse Macabre
Track length2:42
I. Ungur var eg fordum
Track length2:30
II. Mildir, fraeknir
Track length2:01
III. Vodir minar
Track length2:19
IV. Hrornar floll
Track length3:55
V. Litilla sanda
Track length4:37

Awards and reviews

  • Gramophone Magazine
    January 2023
    Editor's Choice

January 2023

Guðmundsson is best known for his choral scores, but this excellent album offers a welcome introduction to his instrumental music...Performances throughout are distinct and characterful, but the bold musicianship of f lautist Áshildur Haraldsdóttir deserves special mention; her playing is assertive and daring in its breathy ferocity, while equally capable of singing with the sweetest clarity.

January 2023

His crystalline music absolutely deserves the exposure and will not waste a second of your time.
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