Bára Gísladóttir. Photo: Gabrielle Motola
Bára Gísladóttir's new piece for choir and double bass was commissioned by The Danish National Vocal Ensemble. The piece is now scheduled to be performed in 2021 where The Danish National Vocal Ensemble performs a Danish-themed Christmas concert, conducted by Phillip Faber.
The audience can look forward to an evocative new piece as the composer describes it:
"When I was asked to write for the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, I was told they were searching for a short, thoughtful piece which sort-of depicted the nativity scene. More specifically a piece that should portray the quiet stillness that remains after the angels, shepherds, and animals have gone home, and there is just a peaceful meditative calmness, bathed in the strange and mystical light of the star. These circumstances were something that truly spoke to me and I started to play with different ideas that eventually led to the piece NĀT. The title is in the form of a word stem that can refer to the latin natura and natus (Perfect active participle of nascor - 'I am born'). In Danish, nat means night, which I found especially suitable. From these ideas I went on to write a simple and fragile, but simultaneously a somewhat loaded piece for choir and double bass."
Edition·S recently spoke with Bára Gísladóttir about various aspects of her music and some of the thoughts behind it. Here she also speaks about the composition of NĀT.