Lots of complexity (timbral and textural) but the music does not sound cluttered, just rich and vivid. Also like the transition starting around 3.30 (including the violin harmonics and all sorts of other interesting "icy" sounds from different instruments of the orchestra. 4.40-4.45- really desolate sound. Sorry- I'm being too "wordy" but there's so much to listen to here and still getting more after 5 listens.

Elsku Borga mín

Sceadu (2018) for Violin and Chamber Orchestra
Performed by Una Sveinbjarnardóttir and Caput Ensemble
Conducted by Guðni Franzson
Recorded by Stúdíó Sýrland.

"Sceadu er hluti af rannsókn minni á landslagi og yfirfærslu þess í tónmál. Þungamiðja verksins er sambandið milli tveggja sjónarhorna á landslagið, milli fjarlægðar og nálægðar. Þessi tvö sjónarhorn endurspeglast í tónlistinni í tveimur aðskildum hlutverkum; einleiksfiðlan túlkar nálægðina en kammersveitin fjarlægðina í landslaginu."

6. May 2018, Salurinn, Kópavogur

Sceadu (2018), for Violin and Chamber Orchestra

Veronique Vaka, born in 1986, is a composer based in Iceland. She studied classical cello performance at Vincent-d’Indy, continued her studies in electro acoustic composition at the University of Montreal and completed a Master's degree in music composition from the Iceland University of the Arts. Her orchestral work Lendh has been nominated for The Icelandic Music Awards 2020 - Composition of the year, and for the Nordic Council Music Prize 2020.

"Lendh, an extraordinary canvas with an umbilical connection to the landscape of the place. […] emerging into a luminous, subtle, carefully formed and exquisitely detailed piece that floats as one ever-transforming entity, pulsating with micro-pressures and glistening details, unfolding organically with spectral-level colour-matching. Pedal notes on lur-like brass are pulled gently and microtonally out of line - the world seen at its most precarious and extreme. Lendh is a marvel.” -Gramophone Editor’s Choice

Veronique Vaka works have been performed by: The Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Sinfóníuhljómsveit Áhugamanna's Orchestra, Ensemble Paramirabo, Duo Harpverk, Ensemble Synaesthesis, Ensemble Adapter, Elektra Ensemble, Caput Ensemble, The Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, Feima, Siggi String Quartet, Ensemble Dasein, Nordic Affect, Opus XX Orchestra, Feima, Sarah Parkin -soprano, Michael Taylor -countertenor, Una Sveinbjarnardóttir, Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, Þórunn Ósk Marinósdóttir and Halla Steinunn Stefánsdóttir. Veronique Vaka composed a Violin Concerto, Sceadu (2019), a Cello Concerto, Gemæltan (2020) and a Viola Concerto, Vanescere (2021). Her works have been performed during Tertulia Chamber Music (2023), Chamber Music Festival on Valentia Island (2022), Myrkir Músíkdagar/ Dark Music Days (2018-19-20-22), Tónlistarhátíð Rásar 1 (2020), Kammermúsíkklúbburinn (2020), and Sumartónleikar í Skálholti (2018). 

Among upcoming projects are INMOST, an orchestral work written for the Finnish conductor Eva Ollikainen, and NEIGE ÉTERNELLE, a series of five pieces for solo violoncello written for Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir.

Sceadu (2018), for Violin and Chamber Orchestra

Veronique Vaka

Recent comments

SFJ

Edouard Rigaudière

DAYMARK

Þuríður Jónsdóttir 1

Related tracks