wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

The piano, or, to use its full name, pianoforte, earned its name because it can be played both quietly (piano) and loudly (forte). Lately there seems to be a trend toward the quiet side. Suddenly there are a number of young composer/pianists exploring a relaxed and alert sensibility in their music. David Garland presents an hour pianissimo pianos.

On this New Sounds program, we’ll hear a sampling of works from a concentrated new music hotspot: Iceland.  It’s a scene where rock music, orchestral music and electronics are blended freely and without regard for genre lines.  To get an idea, we’ll hear music by composer/producer Valgeir Sigurdsson, who balances chamber and classical against rock and electronica.  Plus, something from the now San Diego-based Anna Thorvaldsdottir, whose frosty orchestral music seems to invoke a shimmery soundworld of texures, even though it is played using just acoustic instruments on her record, “Rhizoma.”  

Hear some Icelandic electronic chamber music with a delicate undercurrent of minimalism from the young Olafur Arnalds on this New Sounds.  The rest of this Northern edition of the show includes music from Norway and Sweden, and more from Iceland.

Hear some Icelandic electronic chamber music with a delicate undercurrent of minimalism from the young Olafur Arnalds on this New Sounds.  The rest of this Northern edition of the show includes music from Norway and Sweden, and more from Iceland.