ODINS RAVEN MAGIC / Double vinyle

Description

Composed in the 14th or 15th century, 'Odin's Raven Magic' is an Icelandic poem from the ancient Eddic tradition (Edda - a term describing two Icelandic manuscripts whose primary sources are Norse mythology and skaldic poetry). Its anonymous author clearly had an intimate knowledge of Eddic literature and mythology, alluding to a number of pagan motifs that are now lost. The poem recounts a great banquet held by the gods in Valhalla; while they were absorbed in their feast, unsettling signs appeared that could foretell the end of the worlds of gods and men. The album 'Odin's Raven Magic' is an orchestral collaboration between Sigur Rós, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson, Steindór Andersen, and Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir. The performance honors the dramatic and beautiful poem, classic with a modern twist. A stone marimba was specially built for the performance by Páll Guðmundsson. Odin's Raven Magic, in Icelandic Hrafnagaldur Óðins, is an oratorio created in 2002 at the Barbican Centre in London by Sigur Rós, in cooperation with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson and Steindór Andersen, accompanied by the Schola Cantorum of Reykjavik and, originally, by the London Sinfonietta. The theme of this show is taken from an Icelandic legend narrated in Hrafnagaldur Óðins. It blends classical music, rimur (traditional Icelandic poems) and visual spectacle. During the performance in France at La Villette on September 28 and 29, 2004, the orchestra was composed of laureates from the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris.