Hugi Gudmundsson – Windbells
Áshildur Haraldsdóttir; Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir; Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra
Sono Luminus DSL-92259 (sonoluminus.com)
This collection of chamber music by Hugi Gudmundsson takes its name from a quintet he wrote in 2005 for the World Expo in Japan. Scored for bass flute, bass clarinet, cello, guitar, piano and electronics, it is typical of the music on this disc: thoughtfully constructed, concise pieces for unusual combinations of instruments. Gudmundsson is one of Iceland’s leading composers and the excellent performers here are all members of the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra. You might expect music from Iceland to be introspective, complex, a bit dark, perhaps, but with a certain Nordic affinity for clean lines. Gudmundsson’s music has all of this, with some surprises, of course.
Lux (2009-2011) is for solo flute with a pre-recorded accompanying track all based on flute sounds; Áshildur Haraldsdóttir’s performance is expert and convincing. The opening track on the disc, Arrow of Time from the 2019 quartet Entropy for flute, clarinet, cello and piano, is unusual for its quickness and for its repetitive, minimalist-style chords. One of the most delightful surprises occurs in Foreign, the last movement of Equilibrium IV: Windbells where there is some tangy and very satisfying microtonal interplay between guitar and piano.
Some of the most effective writing comes in a cycle of five songs for mezzo and chamber group, sung with a liquid expressivity by Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir. The cycle is based on Old Norse verses from Hávamál, and Gudmundsson achieves a suitably organic, primitive atmosphere. I particularly enjoyed the oboe solo by Julia Hantschel in the second song and the last song’s use of drones and timbral trills.
