REVIEWS

REVIEWS

On the cd ENTER
Kjell Alinge, Eldorado, Swedish Radio P2:
Totally outside the aesthetes haven [.] A freezone I challenge everyone to visit.

Musical Pointers, Peter Grahame Woolfe:
A major discovery and a true original, an Icelandic composer (b.1962) whose CD gave us pleasure enough to play it straight through twice; it is an accessible and enjoyable disc and Bis should be congratulated on giving Atli Ingólfsson this extensive exposure. He has a good website in which you can see several pages of the scores of the music on this disc.

On Suzannah: Martin Nyström, Dagens Nyheter, Stockholm:
A glowing moment of maximal unsettled music theatre.

On OBJECT OF TERROR, Reykjavik, November 2000

...the atmosphere is unpersonal, even inhuman, but instead you sense something delightfully cosmic unlike anything else. ... this was one of the best pieces of Icelandic contemporary music I have heard (DV. November 13, 2000, Jonas Sen)

Is it human to have complete technical control of your work? Is it logic to bring simple material to life and lift it to a higher level of artistic creation? [...] Although the author seems to worry that his materials might seem mechanical, he succeeds to light up ever changing life in the play of colours and to give the contents - despite all - a "human" look
(Morgunbladid, November 14, 2000, Gunnsteinn Olafsson)

On The Elves' Accent, Reykjavik, December 2001
The quintet by Atli Ingólfsson was not the lesser. It is certainly strange music, but so well crafted that you can't help finding it interesting. The material is very simple [...]disposed to form an image of something you did not know existed [...]one of the best works on the programme...
(DV, Jonas Sen)

On ...ma la melodia, Reykjavik, December 2001
The work was magnificently composed [...] I have somtimes wondered whether many contemporary composers could cope with the style of the od masters in this kind of reageing if tested. I could not hear better than Atli Ingólfsson overcame that selfimposed trial with bravura.
(Morgunbladid, R.Ö.Pálsson)

On HZH
Dazu gesellte sich eine Gruppe neuer Werke, von denen besonders die Stücke der Usbekin Jamilia Jazylbekova und des Isländers Atli Ingolfsson im Gedähtnis blieben.
(Die Ost-West-Wochenzeitung 2. April 1999, Gerhard Möller)

Auch von den Uraufführungen gibt es viel Positives zu berichten. Bemerkenswert die neuesten Streichquartett-Produktionen: das Quartett des Isländers Atli Ingolfsson, wirklich herausragend
(Jungle World March 24, 1999, Clemens Nachtmann)

Dagegen haben drei Uraufführungen anzukämpfen, deren
interssante Ansätze in der illustren Nachbarschaft vielleicht ein
wenig untergehen. Am ehesten kann sich da
"HZH-Streichquartett Nr. 1" von Atli Ingolfsson behaupten.
"Haut - Zunge - Herz" ist mit dem Titel gemeint, Eindruck,
sprachlicher Austausch und dessen Rhythmisierung im Vers.
Der 37jährige isländische Komponist, nach Studien am Pariser
IRCAM in Bologna lebend, kann hier verschiedene "Sprachen"
spanungsvoll integrieren: theatralische Steigerungen eines
stillen Flageolettbeginns mit lakonisch brummendem
Cello-Kommentar, Glissandofetzen und flüchtige Läufe mit
hereinwehenden Tanzrhythmen und beinahe "minimalistisch"
hartnäckigen Dreiklangbesprechungen, bis nur noch zarte
Klopfgeräusche und verlorene Flatterfiguren übrig bleiben.
(Tagesspiegel March 17, 1999 Isabel Herzfeld)

Nur wenige Werke hallen nach
...Höchst originell das mit Klangsensationen gesättigte, herkömmliche Ansätze wie im Teilchenzerstäuber umherwirbelnde Streichquartett des Isländers Atli Ingólfsson (Arditti Quartett);
(Berliner Morgenpost Dec. 2002, Volker Tamow)

The Arditti turned in virtuosic performances of some extremely spiky, pointillistic music. The best was Ingolfsson's HZH Quartet, which had a coarsely beautiful expressiveness and an eerie use of glissandos that began and ended in silence.
(American Record Guide, March-April, 2003, by Jeremy Eichler)

On CONO DI FEDE for doublebass
CONO DI FEDE by Atli Ingólfsson on the other hand was extremely entertaining, Mr. Tryggvason did everything to his instrument exept biting it and the piece was excellently organised, with a consequential evolution and a strong overall effect.
(J.Sen, Lesbók Mbl, April 17 2004)]