Earth Mist Sky for orchestra  (2021)  15′

Icelandic title: Jörð mistur himinn

NOMINATED FOR THE ICELANDIC MUSIC AWARD 2023

Instrumentation: 3.2.3.2-2.2.2.1-pno/cel-hrp-timp-3perc-str

First performance: Harpa, Reykjavík, January 19, 2023, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Eva Ollikainen

When composing, I like to keep something in mind that pulls me in a certain direction. Sometimes it’s just a few words that then affect mood, form, material, characteristics. Sometimes it’s visiual art. The compass of this work is the paintings of Georg Guðni Hauksson. I associate them with nature, fusion, internal movement, vague boundaries, stillness. They are at once clear and complex, natural and abstract, amazing and unique. The clarity lies in the simple motives, mountain, rain, sky, but the boundaries between the motives are often blurred. Maybe that is mirrored in the music by the simple fact the the pitch G is present in the piece most of the time. Which contributes to certain static situation. But I try to “color” the pitch in varied ways to create inner movement and continuity.  The music is multi-layered, many soft layers form buzzing sounds that weave themselves around clear pitches. 

The work is not in three parts as the name might suggest, but it contains sections related to these words, earth, mist, sky, as well as some sort of fusion sections.

Exerpt (beginning)

For further information please contact the composer at hato@simnet.is