REVIEW REBLOG – In the Light of Air: ICE Performs Anna Thorvaldsdottír

I’ve been saving this review from ACL for a little while and then Q2 posted the overview and whole piece to listen to here –
Anna Thorvaldsdottir Carves Isolated, Icy Paths With ‘In the Light of Air’
The two fit well together.
Thank you A Closer Listen for the Review.

a closer listen

In the Light of AirLess than a month after Anna Thorvaldsdottír’s inclusion on Nordic Affect’s Clockworking, a new collection of her work has been issued.  This four-movement work (plus a concluding piece) premiered only a year ago, and is performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble.  At the 2014 Reykjavik Arts Festival, a series of breath-activated lights enhanced the experience, while many klakabönd (metallic ornaments known as a bind of ice) were used as percussion.  Much of this is apparent in the clip below, but home listeners might imitate the experience through creative lighting and sound-and-motion activated appliances.

Not that any of this is necessary to enjoy the album, a combination of filigree-thin solos and remarkable convergences.  Thorvaldsdottír honors both the contributions of the individual performers and their work as an ensemble.  At this point, fifteen years and five hundred premieres into their career, ICE’s resume is so long that it causes the…

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