Wow. Spell-binding. I know Guðnadóttir from Mount A, a fine collection of cello-centric drone-oriented modern classical pieces. This is on a whole other level. It is a live recording (with “no post-tampering”, according to a somewhat earnest sleeve note which is, in this case, entirely excused by the power of the music) with the composer on cello, vocals, and electronics. A 4-minute Prelude, with just the strings, establishes a sense of mood and place. The title track (which translates as Allow The Light) fills the remaining 35 minutes. It introduces a floating aethereal vocal which makes me catch my breath slightly every time I hear it. I don’t know if there are Icelandic words in there, or if it is just phonetic, but as these fragile elements are layered up they achieve a devotional intensity comparable to the likes of Henryk Górecki. Later, the vocals recede, and the cello playing becomes more urgent, its insistent repetition accompanied by a bassy rumbling. This is music that demands my attention, and leaves me feeling subtly renewed.
I bought this from Boomkat. They call it Home Listening / Modern Classical / Ambient.
2 replies on “Hildur Guðnadóttir: Leyfðu Ljósinu (CD, Touch, May 2012)”
[…] Ljósinu by Hildur Guðnadóttir (from the album of the same name) — This 35-minute piece for looped cello and voices was, staggeringly, recorded in a single take. […]
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[…] different styles right over each other. There are fragments that remind me of everything from Hildur Guðnadóttir’s Leyfðu Ljósinu to Eartheater’s IRISIRI, which makes no sense. And yet, somehow, it does make sense, if you […]
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