Virthulegu forsetar

A 4 track electronic ep (2m 44s) — released February 28th 2011 on Touch

This is his second album for Touch, after the highly acclaimed 'Englaborn' [Touch # TO:52], about which The Wire said: '...expressive leitmotifs that unveil a profound sadness without ever wallowing in pathos' and Boomkat called it 'a work of rare beauty and ... a rare jewel'. 'Virthulegu forsetar' contains one hour-long piece for 11 brass players, percussion, electronics, organs and piano. The piece had its live debut in Hallgrimskirkja, a large church in Reykjavik and the city's towering edifice, and was named 'the most memorable musical event of 2003' in Iceland's leading newspaper. The piece has Englaborn's quiet, elegiac beauty, but abandons the brevity of the first album's exquisite miniatures in favor of an extended form that reveals a long, slow process. A simple theme played by the brass section is repeated throughout the entire piece using different voicings and instrumentation. As the piece goes on, the tempo slows down, until it is extremely slow. Around the middle of the piece, the tempo starts to speed up again, until it reaches the original tempo. Space and the sense of place were very important in the performance and recording of the piece. Players were positioned both in front and at the back of the church and two organs were used, again, one in front and one at the back. This created a sense of immersion and a sound that is powerful without ever being 'loud'. 'Virthulegu forsetar' is performed by the Caput Ensemble, conducted by Gudni Franzson, with Skuli Sverrison on bass and electronics, Matthias M.D. Hemstock on bells, glockenspiel and electronics, Hordur Bragason and Gudmundur Sigurdsson on organs and Johann Johannsson on piano and electronics. Johann Johannsson is an Icelandic musician, composer, producer and an active member of the country's artistic community (as co-founder of the Kitchen Motors label / think tank / art collective, founder member of Apparat Organ Quartet and also as a serial collaborator). His lushly sophisticated and hauntingly melodic music has been quietly bewitching listeners for some time - with several full-lengths released on Touch and 4AD labels, as well as numerous scores for for film and theatre. Limited edition double vinyl
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