As a part of Mr. Thórdarson Artistic Research Project, a concert was held at the Rockheim museum in Trondheim, Norway. It included selected compositions of composer/researcher Hilmar Thórdarson performed by members of the Trondheim Sinfonietta conducted by Halldis Rønning and the Choir of Kjartan conducted by Hilmar Thórdarson.
Artistic Research Concert
Compositions of Hilmar Thordarson
Rockheim 3. November 2018 at 19:00
Program
Hljóðs bið ek – For silence I ask
For voices and live interactive electronics
Choir of Kjartan – Conductor Hilmar Thordarson
Sononymus for Flute – Lullaby for Ingibjörg
Flute and electronics
Trine Knutsen – Flute
Kuuki no Sukima – Between the Air
For nine instruments, live interactive electronics and interactive Conductor
Trondheim Sinfonietta – Conductor Halldis Rønning
Programnotes
Hljóðs bið ek – Silence I Ask. For Voices and interactive electronics.
Written in 2013 for the voices of Choir of Kjartan and premiered the same year at the Rockheim museum in Trondheim.
The text is taken from the first words of the Poetic Edda, Vøluspa that tells the story of the creation and doom of the world.
The mysterious atmosphere of Vøluspa crystallizes in this work by the use of live electronics that respond to the words and volume of the voices. As the singers sing, talks, whispers, etc.… the computer responds with digitally generated effects.
Hilmar Thordarson
Using a custom-made amplitude envelope follower for analyzing the vocal loudness and controlling the electronics their voices are then transformed via computer to a surround loudspeaker arrangement.
The singers form a circle around the audience in a group of two with a conductor located mid in the audience.
As I Stood there conducting on a podium in the middle of the audience the necessity to conduct and control the electronic sound became evident. What if I could with my conducting gesture mix the sonic balance, bring the electronic volume up and down, change its sonority, and move it around the hall all with my conducting gestures? Creating a conducting tool such as ConDiS became urgent.
Tonight’s performance is a world premiere of the reversed version where I seek to find solutions to these questions using the “ConGlove” conducting glove.
Sononymus for Flute – Lullaby for Ingibjörg. For Flute and Electronics
Originally written in 1998 for solo flute and dedicated to the birth of my daughter Ingibjörg the composition was reversed with added electronics in the year 2000. The original performance (without the electronics) took place at the Nordic House, Reykjavik in 1998 performed by the American flutist Dorothy Stone. The premiere of the reversed version took place at the Salurinn Music Hall, Kópavogur in 2000 performed by the French/Icelandic flutist Martial Nardeau. Released on a CD as part of the Side by Side album of Mr. Nadeau and flutist Guðrun Sigríður Birgisdottir. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpclxGdnYGM)