Welcome to the performance of ULTRADOLENTE by Hildur Elísa Jónsdóttir, next Thursday June 27 at 8 pm at the Living Art Museum. Please note, there will only be one performance. We open at 7:30 pm. Free entry.

ULTRADOLENTE is based on the poem Nú erum við torvelt from Sonatorrek (Loss of Sons) by Egill Skallagrímsson, and is performed by nine brass players. The work examines manifestations of grief, particularly within ideas of masculinity. The brass instruments traditionally portray heroes, heroic deeds, masculinity and epic narratives. In ULTRADOLENTE the tones are softened and the rhythm is slowed down. The calmer and gentler the melody, the harder it is for the performers to produce the sound. 

The composition follows a structure. Each letter in the Icelandic alphabet represents a note in Db major and a few accidentals at random. The notational system was then bound to all 25 verses of Sonatorrek, with each beat rendered as one beat and the spaces between each word as rests. This results in disparate but regular tonal clusters, embodying Egill’s sorrow. 

ULTRADOLENTE is a part of the newly opened exhibition Course, where four artists exhibit works made in sound.