The Light Eydís Evensen

• Eydís Evensen (b. 1994): Anna's Theme:
• 1Anna's Theme01:55
• The Light II:
• 2The Light II03:49
• 17.03.22:
• 317.03.2203:15
• Tranquillant:
• 4Tranquillant02:53
• Disturbance:
• 5Disturbance02:02
• Transcending:
• 6Transcending03:31
• Tephra Horizon:
• 7Tephra Horizon03:00
• Fragility:
• 8Fragility02:19
• Near Ending:
• 9Near Ending04:38
• Full Circle:
• 10Full Circle03:44
• Dreaming of Light:
• 11Dreaming of Light04:15
• Resolution:
• 12Resolution04:59
• Total Runtime40:20

Info for The Light

On her new album "The Light", the Icelandic pianist and composer Eydís Evensen follows her inner light and opens up dreamy musical spaces full of hope.

For the first time, she combines her minimalist piano melodies and emotional string arrangements, some of which are extended by wind instruments, with subtle vocal passages. Thus, not only a choir can be heard, but also meditatively layered vocal passages by Eydís Evensen herself.

Thematically, the musician, who comes from the rough north of Iceland, reflects on "The Light" how the barren and rugged landscapes of her home country have shaped her personality. For Eydís Evensen, this experience is characterised by the clash of two poles: the "inner light" that guides us and the natural light that is so rarely seen in the dark Icelandic winters. The "inner light" describes for her a sense of hope and confidence. A personal safe-space, which she already brought outward with music as a child and opened up in the real world; into the darkness and loneliness in the north of Iceland. With "The Light", Eydís Evensen wants to share this musical safe space with her listeners and pass on a message of personal and collective hope and resilience.

With the titles of her compositions, Eydís Evensen repeatedly makes the connection between the inner imprint and the outer experience along the spectacular landscape images of Iceland. For example, "Tephra Horizon" refers to the imprint that the ash of a single volcanic eruption can leave on the landscape. The inspiration for this powerful piece with piano, winds and strings is the volcanic eruption of Fagradalsfjall in 2021 with its destructive power and dramatic outcome. In the accompanying music video by Einar Egilsson, Eydís Evensen can be seen dancing on the tephra layer - the cooled lava - near the original eruption site, as if claiming the area for herself.

In addition, Eydís Evensen has incorporated influences from the Icelandic choral and storytelling tradition, with its many sagas dating back to the earliest days of settlement, on her album. Her choral piece "The Light II" is based on one of her own poems and was recorded with the Icelandic choir Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis. Her own singing voice can be heard in the song "Dreaming of Light", for which Evensen also wrote the lyrics.

Eydis Evensen, piano
Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis

No biography found.

Booklet for The Light