Ice Land: The Eternal Music

Ice Land: The Eternal Music, the new album by The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, is out today. For me as producer, this music was an amazing voyage of discovery. The choral music of Iceland is a rich and many-sided treasury and is sure to now become much more widely appreciated. JR

Stream it online, or buy it from the Harmonia Mundi website.

 

Icelandic music of the last half century is the focus of this recording by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, led by its conductor, Graham Ross.  Born from his close collaboration with the native composers of the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’, the programme sets out to explore and highlight their hypnotic soundworld, instinctively leaning towards contemplation.  A prime example is the touchingly beautiful Requiem by Sigurður Sævarsson, which here receives its world première recording.

 

 

Track list:

ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR Ad genua
ÞORKELL SIGURBJÖRNSSON Heyr, himna smiður
TRYGGVI M.BALDVINSSON Kvöldvers
HJÁLMAR H. RAGNARSSON Ave Maria
ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR Heyr þú oss himnum á
SIGURÐUR SÆVARSSON Magnificat
ATLI HEIMUR SVEINSSON Haustvísur til Máríu
JÓN ÁSGEIRSSON Hjá lygnri móðu
SNORRI SIGFÚS BIRGISSON Afmorsvísa
JÓN LEIFS Hinsta Kveðja
SIGURÐUR SÆVARSSON Requiem
SIGUR ROS arr. GUY BUTTON Fljotavík