HALLDÓR SMÁRASON (b.1989): for String Quartet: draw + play, Stara, BLAKTA, stop breathing for Bass Flute, Piano, Clarinet and String Trio, Skúlptúr for Guitar and Electronics, _a_at_na for Violin, Clarinet, Piano and String Quartet.

Description: The Icelandic composer’s professional career spans little more than a decade, and this ‘composer portrait' "Featuring works from different stages in the composer’s life, ranging from his student years in New York to this day as a freelance composer, shows [his] development of a characteristic style ...". Smárason is clearly drawn towards new timbres and unconventional means of expression - he makes extensive use of extended techniques and noise textures, which seem to be increasingly present in the more recent works. draw + play (his second quartet) and stop breathing, both from 2017, are aggressive in their use of harsh, confrontational sounds; Stara (2012), a moving meditation on the act of staring into space and falling into a peaceful trancelike state (dedicated to the composer’s mother, who is blind) and Skúlptúr 1 (2014) are more atmospheric, though equally sonically inventive. Siggi String Quartet and other performers. Sono Luminus CD + Blu-ray audio disc