Jóhann Jóhannsson
Jóhannsson's genius is to infuse his very postmodern music with a rare expressive intensity. Sublime.
Irish Times
In anticipation of a major new collaboration for 2010 inspired by the mining culture of North East England, Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson and American experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison present a special performance of their established works at Durham’s Gala Theatre.
Part of BRASS: Durham International Festival 2009, Morrison presents Decasia: The State of Decay, a meditation on decay featuring an original soundtrack by Michael Gordon, and his short film Light is Calling, followed by a selection of contemporary classical composer Jóhann Jóhannsson’s arrangements.
Jóhannsson's concert is performed by his ensemble of strings, piano, percussion, electronics and some of the region’s finest brass musicians. He has arranged three brass pieces especially for this event.
Jóhannsson’s emotionally resonant compositions are slow-building and bewitching. He combines minimalist, ambient and symphonic music to create stately scores that rise slowly out of silence to sonic heights. Cinematic in its vision, his work draws from the past and the present, combining electronics and orchestral arrangements to create panoramic and romantic soundscapes. Although mostly instrumental, Jóhannsson's work involves complex narratives, which often reflect on man's relationship with the world of machines and decaying and obsolete technology.
The 2010 work will weave together archive footage of local mining communities - Miners' Galas, brass band parades and scenes from everyday life - in a film by Bill Morrison set to a sound score by Jóhann Jóhannsson featuring a specially assembled group of regional and international musicians. The work will be presented live in Durham on 15 and 16 July 2010 before touring internationally.
The 2010 Forma commission for BRASS: Durham International Festival, developed in partnership with culture10, will form part of North East England’s world-class programme of festivals and events during 2010.
Performance
14 July 2009 | BRASS: Durham International Festival, Durham, UK
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