Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir has been known primarily for orchestral works that deploy a wide range of instrumental sounds and sometimes electronics in the service of deep representations of natural surroundings. In this EP, containing the single, title work, she sets herself several challenges. Enigma is a string quartet, which would seem to restrict her sound palette, and the title is abstract; her subject is the mystery of the cosmos rather than nature. These challenges are solved elegantly, and indeed, the music has a ...
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Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir has been known primarily for orchestral works that deploy a wide range of instrumental sounds and sometimes electronics in the service of deep representations of natural surroundings. In this EP, containing the single, title work, she sets herself several challenges. Enigma is a string quartet, which would seem to restrict her sound palette, and the title is abstract; her subject is the mystery of the cosmos rather than nature. These challenges are solved elegantly, and indeed, the music has a rigor that is new in Thorvaldsdottir's work even as it remains quite accessible to general audiences. There are three movements, moving broadly toward open harmonies and a sensation of calm or understanding. What's most impressive is that Thorvaldsdottir creates a sound as monumental as that of her orchestral pieces with just four instruments. Vast chords alternate with sharply etched episodes of extended instrumental technique, and the music has irresistible momentum even at slow...
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