Jóhann Jóhannsson

🎈Lasting about an hour, Virðulegu forsetar is a “concert sound installation” (it originally accompanied an exhibition about presidents, hence its title which translates as “eminent presidents”). It is scored for a brass ensemble (trumpets, French horns and tuba), percussion (glockenspiel and bells), keyboards and electronics. The piece is based on a single, quiet motif built up from a simple harmonic cadence of about a minute’s duration, which is constantly repeated while being minutely altered. Jóhann Jóhannson composed Virðulegu forsetar for the acoustic qualities of Hallgrimskirkja church in Reykjavík, where the live performance had its première in 2003.