The title of Ejnar Kanding's string quartet Nine Waves refers to the nine types of waves, who are the maidens of Ægir and Rán in Norse mythology. Ægir is a sea giant, the god of the ocean and king of the sea. Ægir's wife is Rán the sea goddess. She is by Ægir mother of nine billow maidens. Through the nine movements, the music evolves from the quiet waves to the frothing, into the deep, further to the pitching waves, and finally the dark. In this way, the music changes from the whispering to the flowing, through the deep meditation to the feeling of some ancient origin, and in the end the lonely fighter on the dark and giant ocean.
Nine Waves was written in 2013. Find the score here >>
The album is available at Spotify, Apple Music and various other streaming services. Find it here >>
Textures & Mosaics completed
Another grand work for string quartet and live electronics by Ejnar Kanding has recently been published and is now available in its entirety: Textures & Mosaics vol 2.
Textures & Mosaics is a work series of independent pieces of varying formation which when performed together constitute a coherent entity. The first, third, and fifth movements are composed for four strings titled Obscure Transparence 1-3, while the second movement is a trio for violin, viola, and cello, and the fourth movement is a duo for viola (or violin) and cello titled Sensitive Shades 1-2.
Textures & Mosaics vol. 1 was published in 2015, and as a whole the two volumes constitute a work cycle in ten movements. Any combination of the movements works well for a performance. Read more about the work and listen to a recording by ACME String Quartet at Ejnar Kanding's website >>