Critic’s Comments of Performances
The
piano music of Icelandic composer Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson, most of
which is recorded on this album, encompasses a wide range of concepts
and technical procedures, but, as Icelandic-American pianist Kristin
Jónína Taylor put in her her booklet notes, "Within these works, it is
undoubtedly Thorkell's voice that we hear." The music embodies abstract
concepts such as a unique set of variations in which the theme is
atomized into sections, picked up by the variations in turn. There are
pieces based on anagrams, as well as loosely representational music.
Sigurbjörnsson has written basically serial music such as the
Chaconette (track 26), music based on Bartók-like repeated notes, and
music using extended pedal techniques (Sindur, track 28). All of it
displays a tendency toward short, sharp phrases, combined
polyphonically in textures that (as the album title suggests) are
reminiscent of Bach's inventions. Almost every piece reflects a
conciseness and cleverness that occasionally spill over into outright
humor, not an easy thing to accomplish in some of the idioms
Sigurbjörnsson uses. A nifty find from the Iceland Music Information
Centre, apparently recorded by Taylor under the supervision of the
composer himself.
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| - Jónas Sen, Music Critic for Morgunblaðið,
Iceland’s leading newspaper
- “Magnificent performance!!”
- “Ornate flashiness and unusual strength
- “Keen awareness of sound”
- “Delightfully full of nuances and depth”
- “Genuine and straightforward while at the same time moving, sincere and exceptionally affectionate”
- “The
Barber Sonata is a pregnant terror and the most difficult parts of the
piece were played so brilliantly that I was driven completely out of my
wits.”
- “A performance I will never forget!”
- Alexandra Kjeld, Music Critic for Morgunblaðið
- “The
secure, clear and professional performance by the Icelandic-American
Kristín Jónína Taylor conveyed the dramatic opposites in the pieces
with power, pulse, and character.”
- “Continually
beating repeated notes of persistent refrains in MA KKNOTT (1993)
created great tension and the listeners lived in suspense during Sindur
in another-worldly work, floating and full of motion with an inspiring
interpretation by the pianist.”
- Minneapolis Art Institute
- “The most outstanding concert heard in Pillsbury Hall in many years!!
- Steingrimur Steinolfson, Logberg-Heimskringla, Winnipeg
- “Dazzling, mesmerizing performance of the Icelandic classics.”
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