Classical Editor: Rob Barnett                               Founder Len Mullenger: Len@musicweb-international.com


Gifts of the Spirit - Icelandic Church Music

Thorkell SIGBJÖRNSSON
The Lily; One God; Never Neglect;
Jón LEIFS
Three Church Songs; Lord's prayer;
Jón NORDAL
Toccata
Hjálmar H RAGNARSSON
God Creator of Light and Life
Atli Heimir SVEINSSON
A time to Learn
Áskell JÓNSSON
Adoration of Mary
Árni THORSTEINSSON
Peace on Earth
Páll ISOLFSSON
Adoration of Mary; Ostinato et Fughetta
Ragnar BJÖRNSSON
Heavenly flower
Jón THORARINSSON
Jesus, my morning star
Jónas TÓMASSON
If; Magnificat
Margrét Bóasdóttir (sop)
Björn Steinar Sólbergsson (organ)
ICELAND MUSIC INFORMATION CENTRE ITM 8-11 [60.13]

How many will give this album a chance? Those who do will find it cunningly programmed to evade monotony. Solo organ provides a modicum of punctuation, drama, contrast and breathing space between the predominant acres of music for soprano and organ. Sólbergsson navigates the rapids of the wild and woolly Nordal Toccata in all its ice-cathedral Gothickrie. He clearly also relishes the Isólfssón Ostinato and Fughetta which tumbles, rolls and trills its way in a splendour that derives from the twin traditions of Bach and Reger.

However most of the disc has, in the foreground, the voice of Margrét Bóasdóttir. She is, quite simply, superb. When I hear this voice I think of the purity the young Felicity Palmer brought to Holst's Four Songs for soprano and solo violin. Purity, radiance and steady tone give her voice a rare 'white' tone. The Sigbjörnsson tracks bask in lullaby simplicity as do the tracks allocated to Sveinsson and Ragnarsson the latter having contributed music to the Jon Leifs film bio Tears Of Stone. Leifs' four tracks are more varied: Father Above revels in some complexity and has the subtle swaying ululation of Sibelius's Luonnotar something also encountered in the other ITM collection of Leifs cantatas. There are memorable imaginative strokes in this becalmed and calming music: e.g. the insistent heartbeat in the Tomasson track. Tomasson's Magnificat, by the way, is a sour piece to which I did not warm - the only misfire. Leifs Lord's Prayer has the anchored stability of a Vaughan Williams hymn and the 'otherness' of Hovhaness's religious works e.g. the Magnificat (Delos). It also has the virginal ecstasy of Nyman's music from the 'Epithalamion' scene in the Jarman film Prospero's Books. Jonsson's piece evokes the long departed spirit of Monteverdi. The Thorsteinsson is the only track (12) in which the singer seems out of spirits; her voice is tired and uncomfortable. This is a pity as the lyric contour suggests inspiration from Peterson-Berger's Frösöblomster. Lovely recording and good background notes.

Rob Barnett

Helga Sif Gudmundsdóttir
Iceland Music Information Centre
Sidumula 34
108 Reykjavik
ICELAND
phone +354 568 3122
fax +354 568 3124
itm@mic.is
http://www.mic.is/


Return to Index

Reviews from previous months
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board.  Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.This is the only part of MusicWeb for which you will have to register.


You can purchase CDs, tickets and musician's accessories and Save around 22% with these retailers: