De Lumine is the title a new album to be released by Ulysses Arts label in November 2024, consisting of three new Icelandic works for solo violin performed by Sif Margrét Tulinius violinist. 

The three solo works by Hja´lmar H. Ragnarsson, Hugi Guðmundsson and Viktor Orri A´rnason presented on De Lumine were all commissioned by Sif Margre´t in 2020 and premiered by her in Iceland soon after in the concert series Bach & Modernity. The series comprised three concerts including these contemporary works alongside Johann Sebastian Bach's three 1720 Sonatas for solo violin. This created a musical conversation between composers 300 years apart. The Icelandic composers span three generations and are all well established in their fields. Their solo works for violin reveal clearly the different characters of each composer. The only guideline for the commissions was that they did not include any electronics – to retain a close connection to Bach’s compositions. Otherwise the composers had complete compositional freedom to explore the violin's endless musical and technical possibilities. The album De Lumine is the world premiére recording of these new works and in the concert at the Sunday Classics series in Harpa Norðurljós the audience will get a chance to hear Sif Margrét's performance of all three works.

Sif Margre´t Tulinius is an Icelandic concert violinist with extensive experience as soloist, concertmaster and chamber musician. She was born in Lyon, France but moved at an early age to her home country Iceland. Upon completing her Soloists Diploma from Reykjavi´k College of Music under the guidance of professor Gudny Gudmundsdottir she received a Fulbright grant to further her studies in the US where she completed her B.Mus degree - cum laude from Oberlin Conservatory of music in the class of professors Almita and Roland Vamos and her M.Mus degree in violin performance from Stony Brook music department, New York where her teachers included professors Joyce Robbins and Joel Smirnoff of the Juilliard School of Music, New York. During her student years Sif Margrét took part in many prestigious music festivals including Aspen Music Festival and Prussia Cove, England. In the fall of 2000 Sif Margrét was appointed the position of Associate Concertmaster of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and held the position until 2016 when she moved to Berlin. During her time in Berlin Sif Margrét performed with many esteemed orchestras and ensembles including the Berliner Philharmonker. She is prominent within the Icelandic music scene and has performed on numerous occasions as soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra performing in such works as Gubaidulina's Offertorium, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Lutoslawski ´s Partita. Sif Margrét is a multiple grant recipient of the Icelandic Music Performers Fund. She has been an active performer of modern classical music and has both independently and as part of ensembles worked closely with many Icelandic composers. Sif Margre´t collaborates regularly with pianists in performances of sonata - recitals and is highly involved in creating interesting and inspiring concert programs for the audience.

Programme

Viktor Orri Árnason (1986): Dark Gravity

Part I

Part II

Part III

Part IV

Hugi Guðmundsson (1977): Praesentia

interval

Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson (1952): Partíta

Vigoroso, Liberamente

Semplice, con grazia

Risoluto, accentato

Andante, arioso

Scintillante, brillante

Viktor Orri Árnason was born in Reykjavík in 1987. He studied violin and viola at the Iceland University of Arts and composition and conducting at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. Viktor is active both as a composer, instrumentalist and conductor.

About Dark Gravity Viktor writes: I was inspired by one of the great mysteries of the world - would you believe that when we calculate the total mass of the reality that we know and understand to be true that is the stars, galaxies, blackholes - there seems to be missing 85% of the mass that we define as reality. The piece Dark Gravity wonders about the nature of this unexplainable mass. 

Hugi Guðmundsson was born in Reykjavik in 1977 where he studied composition and electronic music at the Reykjavik College of Music. He went on to further his studies in Denmark and finshed his Master’s degree in composition from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen and a second Master’s degree in electronic and computer music from the Sonology Institute in The Hague, the Netherlands. Hugi's music ranges from solo works to orchestral pieces. He has been awarded many prices for his works both in Iceland and internationally including the Icelandic music award, three nominations for the Nordic Music Price as well as being the recipient of the esteemed grant provided by the Danish Government in the form of a three year artist's salary.

About Praesentia Hugi writes: The title of my first violin concerto was Absentia. Praesentia mirrors that piece in many ways, depicting the opposite of absentia so it might be understood to describe presence. The piece is in a rondo form of some sort where the music constantly gravitates toward a simple choral with repetitive chords but in between them the violin goes on an adventure of virtuosity.

Hja´lmar H. Ragnarsson was born in 1952 in a small village in the west fjords of Iceland. He studied piano from an early age and went to further his studies in composition and theory at the Brandeis University in Massachusetts. He spent one year at the Instituut voor Sonologie in Holland before finishing his Master’s degree from Cornell University in theory and compostion. His compositional span is vast and varied where he has written works for solo instruments, symphonic works, songs and choir works, as well as music for theater and films.

About the Parti´ta Hja´lmar writes: Partita for solo violin – in 5 movements. It is not ”about” anything – notes, intervals, rhythms, phrases, the violin in the hands of the violinist – the sounds of the bow on the string and the magic happens –but no particular meaning or message! It is wonderfully liberating to write music ”about” nothing in particular – music which is itself and only about itself.

Portrait: Magnús Andersen