Reykjavík Grapevine


Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Blaðsíða 27

Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Blaðsíða 27
Enough” fade in. Valgeir originally composed the piece for the City of London Sinfonia in honour of 17th century composer John Dowland, but edited out around half of it to fit the album. “I felt I had a record that worked as a whole,” says Valgeir, “and I don’t think that the record- ed and the performance versions need to be the same, anyway.” A prolific producer and mas- tering engineer, Valgeir has col- laborated with an impressive list of talent, including Damon Al- barn, Oneohtrix Point Never and CocoRosie, as well as country- men Jóhann Jóhannsson, Hildur Guðnadóttir and Sigur rós. Some of the qualities that make him in demand are evident when he speaks: he’s focussed, yet warm and approachable. Despite his busy schedule, he finds time for his solo projects, which he asserts are never an insular endeavour. “Making mu- sic is always col- laborative,” he says. “Someone m ay h ave t he guiding vision, but operating in isolation is not for me. In art you need a dialogue to ex pa nd the project. You keep learning some- thing new, discovering something old or finding new styles of music that you hadn't heard before. It opens new dimensions. If you're set in your own ways it's like work- ing a conveyor belt. Assembling a box according to your prescribed formula and moving on to the next one doesn’t appeal to me.” However, there is something deeply personal about the album, with Valgeir's explorations lead- ing to a particular outcome that only he could arrive at. “There is a kind of sound which I feel is mine to pursue,” says Valgeir. “Nobody else is going to take it and run with it, and it's a cleans- ing process to package it as a solo album and keep a forward mo- mentum. I can leave my train of thought and open up to new ideas.” 1875 The closing piece starts with sud- den intensity before subsiding into an eerie calm, almost as if it means to lure the listener into a false sense of security. Titled “1875,” the piece was commis- sioned on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Icelandic settlement in Manitoba, Canada. “It represents the voyage,” says Valgeir. “It started with a bang— a volcanic eruption—before the travellers set out on an uncertain journey. And they ended up in an even colder place than Iceland.” Despite his international ac- claim, Valgeir remains based in Iceland, working from his Green- house studio with his labelmates. “I like living here,” he explains, “even though I have problems with the politics and the socia l str uct ure. I 've lived abroad and I travel a lot for work , but it 's always good to c o m e h o m e .” Bedroom Com- munity, the label Valgeir founded with Nico Muhly and Ben Frost, celebrated its tenth anniversary last year, and recently started working with newcomers aYia. “We're creating room for Bed- room Community to function as a platform for music that we like,” explains Valgeir, “but aren't nec- essarily hands-on involved in.” The label also continues to grow internationally, as was al- ways the plan. “We started ex- panding straight away, because we never saw the label as having a chance in Iceland,” finishes Val- geir. “It's a small society, and our music is, shall we say… eccentric.” SHARE: gpv.is/val05 Culture Feature 27The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 05 — 2017 “I stretched the 40 seconds out to 23 minutes. The move- ment is the same as Mozart envisioned, only much slower” “The story goes that the sheet music was sent back from the printer because it had to be a mistake” A U N I Q U E T H E A T R E E X P E R I E N C E I N E N G L I S H HARPA CONCERT HALL / T ICKETS ON SALE NOW AT ICELANDICSAGAS.COM AND HARPA.IS MIDASALA@HARPA.IS / +354 528 5050 T H E G R E AT E S T H I T S I N 7 5 M I N U T E S RESTAURANT- BAR 7.990 kr. Vesturgata 3B | 101 Reykjavík | Tel: 551 2344 | www.tapas.is Taste the best of Iceland ICELANDIC GOURMET FEAST Starts with a shot of the infamous Icelandic spirit Brennívín Followed by 7 delicious tapas • Smoked puffin with blueberry“brennivín” sauce • Icelandic Arctic Charr with peppers-salsa • Lobster tails baked in garlic • Pan-fried line caught blue ling with lobster-sauce • Grilled Icelandic lamb Samfaina • Minke Whale with cranberry-sauce And for dessert • White chocolate "Skyr" mousse with passion fruit coulis late night dining Our kitchen is open until 23:30 on weekdays and 01:00 on weekends
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