Anna Thorvaldsdottir (born 1977) - In the Light of Air

Recorded Live on 6th February 2020 at Hallé St Peter's, Manchester, UK.
A short mindful meditation by Amaradaya, ordained member of the Tritatna Buddhist Order introduces 'In the Light of Air'. The performance begins at 11 mins and 15 seconds.
PSAPPHA ENSEMBLE
Benjamin Powell - Piano
Lauren Scott - Harp
Tim Williams - Percussion
Kim Becker - Viola
Jennifer Langridge - Cello
The film of this performance was made possible through the support of the Granada Foundation.
Learn more at www.psappha.com
Learn more about Anna: www.annathorvalds.com
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i. Luminance
ii. Serenity
iii. Existence
iv. Remembrance
In the Light of Air is a tetralogy of works that together form a unified structure, written for viola, cello, harp, piano, percussion and electronics. The four main movements are titled Luminance, Serenity, Existence and Remembrance, and are connected by Transitions to form a seamless flow throughout the work. The work has a Prologue and an Epilogue.
The work streams from one movement to the next through a flowing texture of sound materials and harmonies. The musical material is constructed with a focus on subtle nuances and poetic textures that form lyrical gestures throughout the work. Melodies are generated just as much by sounds, gestures and nuances as by pitched lyrical material.
Parts of Remembrance insisted on echoing the melody of a song that my husband - Hrafn - wrote and dedicated to me in 2000. I am deeply thankful for this presence in the work.
In the light of Air was written for the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in 2013/14 as part of their ICElab. The work was premiered at the Reykjavik Arts Festival on 25 May 2014.
© Anna Thorvaldsdottir

[@garaughty]

Brilliant on so many levels... awesome performance !

[@emilywong4601]

Prepared piano?

[@PsapphaEnsemble]

Emily Wong yes, the piano is prepared. You can check out the score on Issu I think.

[@emilywong4601]

@@PsapphaEnsemble Thank you. I'd love to see the score.

[@paulflute]

are all the textures being generated by the instruments in real time..? or are some sounds being sampled and digitally manipulated..?

[@PsapphaEnsemble]

paulflute - Hi Paul, the sounds from the live instruments are slightly amplified but not manipulated in any way. There is also an audio track that is in some sections.

[@paulflute]

​@@PsapphaEnsemble Thank you.. the whole thing is delicious.. meditation and music are the two of the strongest threads of my life.. Initially they sat very separately but in recent years I've been allowing them to meet.. The middle ground can be incredibly healing and expansive.. Very beautifullu woven here.. well done..

[@emilywong4601]

This composer is non digital manipulation.

[@edwardlarsen8658]

@@PsapphaEnsemble Is the audio track "performed" by a human, or is it a recording that is identical for each performance of the piece? (In other words, is the audio tape subject to human interpretation?)

[@Lord_Heron]

Love the music, hate the meditation crap at the beginning, very patronising in my opinion, yuck

[@namlak]

haha, sounds like you are due for some quiet time

[@Lord_Heron]

@@namlak Maybe...currently watching a documentary about 'The Dead Kennedys'. The world is full of wonders !😄