I approached this disc intrigued at the prospect
of discovering the work of an Icelandic composer, not only with
genuine interest but because I am about to conduct opera in that,
to me totally unfamiliar, country with an indigenous cast and
orchestra. Bára Grimsdóttir took advanced studies
in composition in Holland with Tristan Keuris and Louis Andriessen,
then became a teacher and conductor of vocal groups. She then
moved to the Westman Islands, south of mainland Iceland, where
she pursued a similar combination of activity as well as singing
herself. She was steeped in the Icelandic verse-chanting tradition
from early childhood and now sings all over Europe in a small
vocal ensemble Embla, or as a duo with guitarist Chris Foster.
Clearly from the music here, she has a penchant for popular and
folk music of her own land. About 1980 she was given a book of
Icelandic poetry ranging from Medieval times to the Reformation,
and despite her initial good intentions to use it as source material
for setting to music, it was a further seventeen years before
they came to fruition. The twenty-voice chamber choir Hljómeyki
commissioned ‘Ad beatam virginem’ for performance at the Skálholt
Summer Concert Series, and for the Festivals of 1998 and 2000
she became its resident composer. The work was an instant success,
and, judging from this fine performance, understandably so. The
singing in this and the other works (in particular the last two
tracks) is first-class, meticulously detailed in its refined phrasing,
disciplined ensemble and careful balance. Bára Grimsdóttir
is an imaginatively skilled craftsman when it comes to writing
for the voice, the music is hauntingly beautiful in its mix of
modern and ancient harmonies and rhythms, and her clearly defined
love for her selected texts is reflected in the stunning result.
I cannot recommend this disc too highly, and it makes me want
to hear more of her work.
Christopher Fifield
Hljómeyki Chamber
Choir/Bernard Wilkinson