Leifs: Edda, Part 1 - The Creation of the World (Sköpun heimsins) - BIS: BISSACD1350 - SACD or download

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Jón Leifs was a true original and his Edda oratorio cycle was one of his most original inspirations.
Planned in the 1920s as a single oratorio on the Völuspá, it grew into an epic tetralogy –... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Release Date: 26th Nov 2007
Catalogue No: BISSACD1350
Label: BIS
Length: 75 minutes

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Leifs: Edda, Pt. 1, Skopun heimsins (the Creation of the World)

Work length1:15:32

Album only

$25.90

$35.00

Gunnar Gudbjörnsson, Bjarni Thor Kristinsson
Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis, Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Hermann Bäumer
Recorded: October 2006
Recording Venue: Hallgrim's Church, Reykjavik, Iceland

Ar var alda [Young Were the Years]

Track length4:21

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Ymir

Track length7:24

$1.50

$2.60

$3.50

Thursa Thjodar sjot [the Giants' Palace]

Track length2:56

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Audhumla, Odinn ok hans braedr [Audhumla, Odin and his Brothers]

Track length2:54

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Saer [Sea]

Track length2:37

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Jord [Earth]

Track length2:30

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Himinn, sol, dagr [Sky, Sun, Day]

Track length10:28

$1.50

$3.85

$5.25

Nott, morgunn [Night, Morning]

Track length19:23

Album only

$5.15

$7.00

Asgardr, Askr ok Embla, Midgardr [Asgard, Ash and Embla, Midgard]

Track length3:38

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Scherzo. Allir menn urdut jafnspakir [All Men Aren't Equally Wise]

Track length3:26

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Vidr, sumar, logn [Wood, Summer, Calm]

Track length8:04

$1.50

$2.60

$3.50

Vetr ok vindr [Winter and Wind]

Track length2:37

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Finale. Ifing, niu heimar [Ifing, Nine Worlds]

Track length5:14

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

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About

Edda I consists of thirteen movements, each of which describes part of the creation according to Nordic mythology. As the headings of the individual movements suggest – Sea, Earth, Heaven, Sun, etc. – Leifs’ main concern is the depiction of nature. He achieves this in music which carries the hallmarks of the Leifs style, such as a liberal use of parallel fifths and irregular metric patterns.

Reviews

2010

Jón Leifs was a true original and his Edda oratorio cycle was one of his most original inspirations.
Planned in the 1920s as a single oratorio on the Völuspá, it grew into an epic tetralogy – though without a hint of Wagnerian romanticism – covering the world's creation, its gods, 'Twilight' and 'Resurrection' setting a patchwork text which reads like a compendium on each subject. Sadly, Leifs only lived to complete the first two parts.
The 13 movements of 'The Creation of the World' (1932-39) tell of the giant Mir and his death at the hands of Odin and his brothers and their fashioning of the Earth, Sea and Heavens – and the first men – from the corpse; the remaining sections then describe its nature.
To relate this epic narrative Leifs deployed a huge orchestra with a large percussion section (including rocks struck with hammers), organ, ocarina, bagpipes and a quartet of lurs, reconstructions of ancient Viking horns. Yet the orchestration – occasionally unleashed to sensational effect – is mostly used with restraint, nowhere more so than in the huge eighth movement, 'Night, Morning', where the dynamics rarely rise above piano.
This performance, recorded in the wake of the work's long overdue complete premiere in 2006, sounds thrilling, the BIS engineering catching the huge dynamic range, weight and delicacy of sound. Bäumer holds everything together with finesse and the orchestra play the atmospheric accompaniment marvellously. The main plaudits go, however, to the chorus who sing their extremely difficult parts with compelling conviction.
Leifs's slightly ungainly style may not be to everyone's taste but his score is far more varied than first impressions suggest. Like it or loathe it, this is one of the recording events of the year.

February 2008

This performance, recorded in the wake of the work's long overdue complete premiere in 2006, sound thrilling, the BIS surround engineering catching the huge dynamic range, weight and delicacy of sound. Bäumer holds everything together with finesse and the orchestra play the atmospheric accompaniment marvellously. The main plaudits go, however, to the chorus who sing their extremely difficult parts with compelling conviction. Like it or loathe it, this is one of the recording events of the year.

Leifs: Edda, Part 1 - The Creation of the World (Sköpun heimsins)

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