Halvcirkel - FatCat Records

Halvcirkel

Halvcirkel are a Danish string ensemble formed in Copenhagen, 2015, At the group’s core are three musicians: violist Mika Persdotter, violinist Bettina Marie Ezaki, and cellist Nicole Hogstrand. Halvcirkel’s art is characterised by playing that positions “being human” over perfection. Integral to their music is the way that their instruments weave and “braid”. It’s like a conversation, a discussion, in flux. Their power is the product of this synergy. Their ability to agree to disagree. Their differing viewpoints reflecting the world around us, and realising beauty when alighting on common ground.

Their canon, to date, has included self-released interpretations of works by artists as diverse as Dmitij Sjostakovtij and Philip Glass, cross-discipline collaborations with names such as Henrik Lindstrand, Signe Lykke, and Hania Rani, plus a commission from Denmark’s National Gallery. Alongside composer Anders Lauge Meldgaard they reimagined the Ancient Greek poet Sappho’s Fragment 94.

In 2024, Halvcirkel signed with FatCat Records’ modern–classical imprint 130701 to release ‘Vida’, the first album of purely their own composition. ‘Vida’ finds the friends experimenting with techniques, such as col lengo and pizzicato, and painting pictures of Nordic landscapes, the nature of Iceland, Sweden, and their native Denmark. In the process, these creations call on and reference giants of modern classical and post-classical music: Brian Eno, Craig Leon, Carl Nielsen, Arvo Part, and Caroline Shaw. In addition, their aural aesthetic - where each instrument is equal - pays utmost respect to their mentor, the pioneering minimalist, Terry Riley.