Anna Thorvaldsdottir
Anna Thorvaldsdottir (b. 1977) is an Icelandic composer whose “seemingly boundless textural imagination” (NY Times) and “striking” (Guardian) sound world has made her “one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music” (NPR).
The following techniques were taken primarily from Thorvaldsdottir’s work Sola, for solo viola and electronics. Sola was commissioned as part of The 20/19 Project by Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti with the generous support of Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting. The premiere recording of Sola will be released December 4th, 2020 on New Focus Recordings. Additional techniques demonstrated are from Thorvaldsdottir’s works Enigma and Transitions. Thorvaldsdottir is published by Chester Music, part of the Wise Music Group. These videos were filmed by Kevin Eikenberg and Evan Chapman of Four/Ten Media onsite in Thorvaldsdottir’s studio outside of London in April 2019.
Program Notes for Sola by Anna Thorvaldsdottir
Sola is inspired by abstract structural elements of solitariness in midst of turmoil—by the desire of calm and focus in chaos. Focusing on intimate materials in a flowing progression that seethe under the surface of disruption, only occasionally observing elements from the surface. The viola and the electronics become one—different sides of the same being—and move together throughout the work. The viola is the constant and the electronics emerge in and out of focus and shadow the materials from the viola. The whole—the connecting materials—expand and contract throughout the process of the piece and are contrasted with fragmented nuanced sound materials that depict various sides of the existing being, showing the core materials through various perspectives.
As with my music generally, the inspiration behind Sola is not something I am trying to describe through the piece—to me, the qualities of the music are first and foremost musical. When I am inspired by a particular element or quality, it is because I perceive it as musically interesting, and the qualities I tend to be inspired by are often structural, like proportion and flow, as well as relationships of balance between details within a larger structure, and how to move in perspective between the two—the details and the unity of the whole. // Program notes by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, 2019
Sola patch for performance
The link below leads to a zipped folder containing the four audio tracks and a MaxMSP patch for performance. It is recommended that the performer work with a sound engineer in the hall to balance the EQ to both match the sound of the performer’s instrument for a desired blend, and to adjust to the characteristics of the space.