The composer, Hugi Guðmundsson, is fascinated by the concept of time and transitions from order to chaos, and vice versa, which is reflected in pieces like Entropy and Lux.
Performer Biography
Áshildur Haraldsdóttir, the flutist on this album, studied at The Juilliard School and the Paris Conservatory, and has won prizes at several international competitions.
Compositional Technique
In the piece Brot ('Fragments'), the composer uses recordings of previous movements played in reverse in the intermezzos to create a sense of 'time travel'.
Composer Biography
Hugi Guðmundsson, the composer, has received multiple Icelandic Music Awards, nominations for the Nordic Council Music Prize, and the Optimism Award from the president of Iceland.
Historical Context
Songs from Hávamál II uses verses from Hávamál ('Words of the High One'), an old Icelandic poem from a 13th-century manuscript attributed to the Nordic god Odin.
Performer Biography
The Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, founded in 1974, is known for its wide-ranging repertoire and has premiered many Icelandic and foreign works.
Composition History
The title piece, Equilibrium IV: Windbells, was first performed at the 2005 World Expo in Japan in a venue resembling a stadium.
