World music, compiled by Pieter de Rooij and Carolien Cleiren.
Music made by Icelandic composers Johann Johannsson and Hildur Gudnadottir
In this episode, we’ll listen to music made by two Icelandic composers: Johann Johannsson and Hildur Gudnadottir. They both have become famous film music composers, and their style is often described as minimalistic, post-classical, and experimental. In the first part of this episode, we’ll listen to Johann Johannsson, who was born in Reykjavik in 1969.
From about 2010, he broke through internationally due to his music for documentaries, TV, and movies. He became famous thanks to his music for films like The Theory of Everything, Mother, and Arrival.
Johannsson also dedicated himself to several solo projects, the last of which – the album Orphée – we’ll listen to in this episode. For Orphée, Johannsson was inspired by the mythical love story Orpheus and Eurydice. In a post-classical, minimalistic style, Johannsson created a solemn and touching sound image. With ever-climbing melodies and upward harmonic movements, you can really feel the enormous desire of someone who has just lost a loved one. Orphée was released in 2016 and is his last studio album. The composer died suddenly in Berlin in 2018. He was 48 years old. The cause of death isn’t clear; the media never released a statement about his death.
The principal part of this episode will be about composer, cellist, and singer Hildur Gudnadottir. She was born in Reykjavik in 1982. Just like Johann Johannsson, she works and lives in Berlin. She has worked with many musicians and composers in pop music, experimental and electronic music, Johannsson, for example. Recently Gudnadottir has become famous for working with film music, which has also won several prestigious awards. For instance, she won an Oscar, a Bafta Award, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy Award for her work on the film Joker.
She is also known for her solo projects. We’ll listen to two of those in this episode. First, we’ll listen to a short piece titled Folk Faer Andlit, which means People Get Faces. She composed this piece because of the problematic situation of refugees. She wanted to give them a face and tell them it’s going to be alright. In this piece, she sings multiple layers, and the result resembles Gregorian choral singing.
After that, we’ll listen to her album Leyfdu Ljosinu from 2012. This album consists of two pieces: Prelude, a short piece for cello solo, and after that a long performance for vocals, electronics and cello, titled Leyfdu Ljosinu, which means Allow the Light. The recording was done in one take and isn’t altered at all. She has composed a layered and profoundly emotional piece with her vocals, cello, loops, samples and overdubs. She slowly transforms to a heavy atmosphere in which cello sounds keep getting louder and get the upper hand. Allow the Light is a piece of hypnotic, compelling music that ends in a fantastic climax.
Playlist:
During the intro:
Title: Good Morning, Midnight
Composer: Johann Johannsson
Performed by: Air Lyndhurst String Orchestra conducted by Anthony Weeden
Album: Orphée
Label and year: Deutsche Grammophon, 2016
Title: Whiten
Composer: Hildur Gudnadottir
Performed by: Hildur Gudnadottir
Album: Without Sinking
Label and year: Touch, 2009
After the intro:
Title: A Song For Europe
Composer: Johann Johannsson
Performed by: Air Lyndhurst String Orchestra conducted by Anthony Weeden
Album: Orphée
Label and year: Deutsche Grammophon, 2016
Title: A Sparrow Alighted Upon Our Shoulder
Composer: Johann Johannsson
Performed by: Air Lyndhurst String Orchestra olv Anthony Weeden
Album: Orphée
Label and year: Deutsche Grammophon, 2016
Title: By The Roes, And By The Hinds Of The Field
Composer: Johann Johannsson
Performed by: Air Lyndhurst String Orchestra olv Anthony Weeden
Album: Orphée
Label and year: Deutsche Grammophon, 2016
Title: Good Night, Day
Composer: Johann Johannsson
Performed by: Air Lyndhurst String Orchestra conducted by Anthony Weeden; Hildur Gudnadottir (cello)
Album: Orphée
Label year: Deutsche Grammophon, 2016
Title: Folk Faer Andlit
Composer: Hildur Gudnadottir
Peformed by: Hildur Gudnadottir
Single: Folk Faer Andlit
Label and year: Deutsche Grammophon, 2020
Title: Prelude
Composer: Hildur Gudnadottir
Performed by: Hildur Gudnadottir
Album: Leyfdu Ljosinu
Label and year: Touch, 2012
Title Leyfdu Ljosinu
Composer: Hildur Gudnadottir
Performed by: Hildur Gudnadottir
Album: Leyfdu Ljosinu
Label and year: Touch, 2012
