The clock is ticking, nearing midnight. The air is serene but flickering shadows hint at life's perils. The soothing ticking of the clock evokes a drowsy tune that Sandman hums softly in ear while sprinkling sleep in eyes, luring one more soul into the land of dreams lulling: "Come along".

Quartet:   Harp, Flute, Violin, Clarinet
Performed by Finale+Garritan on a PC

Værð

Peace & Quiet_Quartet - (Værð)

Written after dreaming a large orchestra playing the song's main theme in a Viennese ballroom setting. The title reflects all the dear moments and everyday life experiences enjoyed in a lasting relationship that began in 1979.

Originally written in 1995. Revised and recorded in 2022.
Violin:  Kristján Matthíasson
Piano & Accordion:  Kjartan Valdemarsson
Recording, mix & master:  Eðvarð Egilsson - Hljómandi recording studio, Reykjavík
© Gylfi Garðarsson 1995
© Nótuútgáfan 2023

Dans á rósum (Dance on roses)

String quartet
Computer generated sound file (Finale-Garritan)

Kashmir Traits

Kashmir traits

Computer generated sound file (Finale-Garritan)
"97 & Sputnik" was written in January 2024 as a tribute to the string quartet "Spútnikk" for their contribution in recordings of a challenging composition (Three reminiscences) in late 2023.
Considering the performer's name, the piece refers in a light hearted manner to the launch and sound signal (beep) of the first spacecraft in human history, mixed with snippets of well-known American and Russian songs of the time (1957). The composition can be considered a fairly pure example of program music in a string quartet setting.

(á íslensku)
Verkið "97 & Sputnik" var samið í janúar 2024 í þakkarskyni fyrir framlag "Spútnikk" strengjakvartettsins við upptökur á afar krefjandi tónverki (Þrjú minni) í lok 2023.
Með hliðsjón af nafni flytjandans vísar verkið á gamansaman hátt til geimskots og hljóðmerkis (píps) fyrsta geimfars mannkynssögunnar í bland við stefbrot þekktra bandarískra og rússneskra sönglaga þess tíma (1957). Tónverkið má telja nokkuð skýrt dæmi um hermitónlist fyrir strengjakvartett.

57 & Sputnik

String quartet in 3 movements based on compositional traits in works by Anton Webern, J. S. Bach and Béla Bartók.
Originally written in 1985. Revised and recorded in 2023.
Performed by "Spútnikk" quartet:  Sigríður Bjarney Baldvinsdóttir (Violin 1), Diljá Sigursveinsdóttir (Violin 2), Vigdís Másdóttir (Viola), Gréta Rún Snorradóttir (Cello).
Recording, mixing and mastering: Eðvarð Egilsson
Hljómandi-recording studio, Reykjavík, Iceland

Three Reminiscences - III Barbaro

Three Reminiscences (Þrjú minni) - III Barbaro

Three Reminiscences - II Aria

Three Reminiscences (Þrjú minni) - II Aria

Three Reminiscences - I Kanon

Three Reminiscences (Þrjú minni) - I Kanon

Gylfi Garðarsson (b. 1956) lives and works in Iceland. With songwriting and composing as a pastime activity his more visible output until recently has been music engraving and publishing of sheet music books (www.songbok.is). As of 2022 he began to share some of his own music publicly through Soundcloud and other streaming platforms. (Profile image by Þórdís Erla Ágústsdóttir)

57 & Sputnik

Gylfi Garðarsson

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