The title piece, Equilibrium IV: Windbells, was the seed this whole album grew from. It was premièred under rather unusual circumstances at the 2005 World Expo in Japan in a venue that more closely resembled a stadium than a concert stage for classical music. I was an integral part of the performance due to the interactive electronics in the piece. We had practiced that I would maintain eye contact with the musicians during performances, just a few meters from the stage. However, the mixer I was operating at the concert was housed in something that resembled an air traffic control tower some 100 meters away from the stage. Or at least it felt that way. From my perspective, the musicians were like tiny ants in one corner of the enormous stage and they could not see me at all. Despite these outlandish circumstances, we somehow managed to perform the piece. It has since become one of my most performed chamber pieces and has received several awards and recognitions. It has never been recorded in a studio up until now. So, after a recent performance with Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, where it received very warm reviews, we decid- ed it was time to do something about it. That snowballed into what is now this album. 

Equilibrium IV: Windbells is the oldest piece on the album, which spans seventeen years of my career. Looking back at this composition now, I almost feel like I’m again in that surreal air traffic control tower in Japan. I can also see early patterns emerging in this relatively early piece. Pat- terns that echo throughout the album. There are the contrasts of Crumb, the meditativeness of Messiaen and the atmospheric dramaturgy of my uncle and great musical influence Hafliði Hallgrímsson. There are plenty of other influences, and I have long since given up on hiding them or being ashamed of them. On the contrary, I find it fascinating how one composer can plant a seed that germinates within another composer. It is a process as organic and natural as life itself. 

ENTROPY (2019)
Flute, Clarinet, Cello, Piano 

I. Arrow of Time
II. Asymmetry of Time (Hommage à Olivier Messiaen) 

LUX (2009/2011) Flute, Electronics 

EQUILIBRIUM IV: WINDBELLS (2005)
Bass Flute, Bass Clarinet, Cello, Guitar, Piano, Electronics 

I. Agitated
II. Funeral in a Deserted Church
III. Wind Interrupt
IV. Foreign 

BROT (2011)
Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Double Bass, Electronics 

I. Ostinato
II. Intermezzo I
III. Chorale
IV. Intermezzo II
V. Danse Macabre 

SONGS FROM HÁVAMÁL II (2014/2021)
Flute/Piccolo, Oboe/Cor Anglais, String Quintet, Piano, Mezzo-Soprano 

I. Ungur var eg forðum 

II. Mildir, fræknir
III. Voðir mínar
IV. Hrörnar þöll
V. Lítilla sanda 

Total time: 60:56
Release date: October 28, 2022
UPC: 053479225924

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Quotes & Reviews

“ Áshildur Haraldsdóttir’s  performance is expert and convincing. … One of the most delightful  surprises occurs in Foreign, the last move ment of Equilibrium IV: Windbells where there is some tangy and very satisfying micro tonal interplay between guitar and piano.  Some of the most effective writing comes in  a cycle of five songs for mezzo and chamber  group, sung with a liquid expressivity by  Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir.” - Fraser Jackson, The Whole Note

“Hugi Guðmundsson has crafted an idiom combining neo-tonality and modernist inflections, with deliberate rhythms often based on slowly evolving ostinatos. Aspects of rhythmic construction loom large on Windbells, a portrait CD for Sono Luminus, as well as Guðmundsson’s incorporation of electronics into chamber works. … One is struck by the way that, … Guðmundsson can create significant layers of activity with relatively spare means, never using a note more than necessary. … He has a distinctive creative voice, and Windbells is a thoroughly persuasive recording. It is one of our Favorites of 2022. “ - Christian Carey, Sequenza 21

Gramophone Editor’s Choice: January 2023 “[Hugi Gumundsson’s] crystalline music absolutely deserves the exposure and will not waste a second of your time. … The performances – particularly from flautist Áshildur Haraldsdóttir and the velvety voice of Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir – are highly accomplished and put the music first.” - Andrew Mellor, Gramophone

“Songs from Hávamál II is some of the most lush and beautiful writing on the album. Guðmundsson combines his love of old and new music. Each of the five songs sets up a new sound world, with Einarsdóttir's lyrical voice bringing a new definition of expressivity to all of them. … As an album, Windbells is an excellent example of a contemporary composer's views on traditional senses of tonality in the twenty-first century. Guðmundsson's music traverses an array of emotions and inspirations, but always eventually comes back down to the simple beauties created in life. His writing is both intuitive and innovative for the players, not shying away from complexity, but also not relying on it as his only source of musicality. The chamber music presented are also great examples of how successfully electronics, especially interactive electronics, are vital to the progression of new music.” - Ari Magg, Brutal New Music

“The word-setting is exquisite… The performances are excellent, the players drawn from the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra. Sono Luminus’s engineering is rich and all-enveloping, and there's a bonus Blu-ray Audio disc for those with the requisite audio equipment. An appealing collection.” - Graham Rickson, The Arts Desk