UNM Ögnun: Gulli Björnsson - Úr heljar ofni

Úr heljar ofni (2020)
Audio/visual work by Gulli Björnsson (1991)
I. Varð rið
II. Skjálfti jarðar
III. Illar sálir í teljast því víti
IV. Upp gýs fjall og fnasar
V. It dökka fjúk

Guitar: Gulli Björnsson
Keyboard: Ásthildur Ákadóttir
Percussion: Örvar Erling Árnason
Cinematography - Patrik Ontkovic
Sound - Stefán Ólafur Ólafsson
Editing - Pétur Eggertsson
Produced by UNM Iceland

Úr Heljar Ofni (Out of Hell´s Oven) is an audio-visual electro-acoustic composition of adjustable duration. It is inspired by descriptions of the Icelandic volcano Hekla from the poem Ferða-Rolla by the explorer and writer Eggert Ólafsson (December 1, 1726 – May 30, 1768). The poetic descriptions by Ólafsson of the volcano are hellish and magnificent and peculiarly written in Old Icelandic. The title of the piece and the movements all come from Ferða-Rolla and the movements are all attacca.

Most of the audio effects are pre-programmed through a graphical interface I made for Max - this interface combined with the notational style of the piece allows the duration to be adjusted; creating the options for 10 to 20 minute versions of the piece.

The visuals manipulate and combine stock footage of lava through various interactive shaders and pixel processing.

Gulli Bjornsson (b.1991) is guitarist and composer from Iceland whose music typically ties electronics, instruments and visuals to experiences in nature. Gulli’s music has been described as “hypnotic” (News Gazette), “a knockout - wondrously inventive” (Soundboard Magazine) and “Virtuosic … modern, occasionally discordant, but still accessible” (Classical Guitar Magazine).

Last summer he released his debut album Bergmál featuring his own compositions for guitar, strings and laptop, which you can find on all major online platforms. He is a candidate for the Ph.D. degree in composition at Princeton University and holds degrees from Manhattan School of Music and Yale.