Siggi String Quartet - Stara - The Music of Halldór Smárason (2020) [Official Digital Download 24/192]

STARA is Halldór Smárasons debut album. It was recorded in Halldórs hometown of Ísafjörður, in the Westfjords region in the northwestern part of Iceland. Featuring works from different stages in the composers life, ranging from his student years in New York to this day as a family man and freelance composer, STARA shows Halldórs development of a characteristic style and unique sense of narrative. All the works on the album are inspired by personal experiences, and are often dedicated to people close to the composer himself. STARA features Halldórs three string quartets: draw + play, Stara, and BLAKTA; the guitar solo piece Skúlptúr 1; and the chamber works _a_at_na and stop breathing. Halldórs music has been described as atmospheric yet aggressive, characterized by a simmering energy just beneath the surface that erupts from time to time. His compositional voice is highly original and personal.

The recordings on STARA took place in Hamrar, the hall of the Ísafjörður Music School, in June 2019. Halldór received his first musical education in the school and therefore it felt like an appropriate venue for these recordings. A large group of musicians and technicians made their way to the Westfjords to make Halldór's dream come true, where the composer’s first musical ideas started emerging.

Siggi String Quartet is the main performer on the album. The quartet consists of Una Sveinbjarnardóttir and Helga Þóra Björgvinsdóttir on violin, Þórunn Ósk Marinósdóttir on viola and Sigurður Bjarki Gunnarsson on cello. Other musicians are Emilía Rós Sigfúsdóttir on flute, Geirþrúður Ása Guðjónsdóttir on violin, Gunnlaugur Björnsson on guitar, Helga Björg Arnardóttir on clarinet and Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir on piano.

TRACKLIST

Halldór Smárason (b. 1989):

1 Draw + Play
2 Stop Breathing
3 Stara
4 Skúlptúr 1
5 Blakta
6 _a_at_na



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