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Solo Luminus5
Archora / Aiōn
Anna Thorvaldsdottir, composer; Iceland Symphony Orchestra with Eva Ollikainen, conductor
Solo Luminus, 2023
Contemporary Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir doesn’t aim to simply create beautiful symphonic music, she aims to strike fear into the hearts of her listeners.
The first track on her latest album, Archora / Aiōn, is a 20-minute masterwork of atmospheric tension. The violins’ long-held single notes consistently fade into deep brass notes, creating a cacophony of sounds in which instruments lose their individuality, becoming a menacing mass. The noise peters off and reasserts itself at just the right moments so as to avoid overwhelming the listener. The occasional glimmers of hope in the orchestra’s sweeping melodies provide some variety, while eerie, well-timed violin strings and harsh drum beats interject. Finally, the listener emerges on the other side, accompanied by the gentle breeze and a feeling of awe.
The three-movement structure of Aiōn means it doesn’t have to stick to the single method of tension-building as does Archora. The flute and bass are more prevalent in this piece, there’s a greater tendency to heighten intensity through rhythmic drums, and the instruments are used in unconventional ways to generate unsettling sounds like creaking, whistling, and rushing water.
Kudos to the Icelandic symphony orchestra for doing justice to Thorvaldsdottir’s haunting work.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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