We’re excited to officially welcome Danish string ensemble Halvcirkel to the FatCat / 130701 fold. Today, they have released first single ‘Ridge’ from their forthcoming album ‘Vida’, (out 14th June) to which they will perform an album release concert featuring at this years Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
Halvcirkel’s art is characterised by a 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. The pieces’ 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.
‘Vida’ find 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 Pärt, and Caroline Shaw. In addition, their aural aesthetic - where each instrument is equal - pays utmost respect to their mentor, the pioneering minimalist, Terry Riley.
They have covered Riley on several occasions, and in 2020 were invited to visit the pioneering minimalist at his Californian mountain ranch. It was this trip, in part, that inspired the track, ‘Ridge’. Tipping its cap to a cafe they frequented, the tune is a ceremony of drones that marches to a slow ritual rhythm. A procession possessing ripples of hurdy-gurdy-like reed resonance and buzz, it also salutes another Halvcirkel collaborator, Craig Leon, and Nommos, his interplanetary dance of the Dogon people.
‘Vida’ is available now to pre-order on vinyl, and for digital download and streaming across all platforms here.
LIVE PERFORMANCES
18th May 2024
A Colossal Weekend Festival
Vega, Copenhagen
– https://www.acolossalweekend.dk/halvcirkel-dk
Tuesday 9th July 2024
'VIDA' Album Release Concert
Xenon, Copenhagen Jazz Festival
– https://billetto.dk/e/copenhagen-jazz-festival-halvcirkel-releasekoncert-billetter-971011?utm_source=billetto&utm_medium=billetto&utm_campaign=find&utm_content=3DK&vs=442e4db9-9bb3-4e0c-9d74-fa1ba3d5fedb