Seventeen Sonnets on the Philosophy of the Heart
Song Cycle by Thorvaldur Gylfason set to poems by Kristján Hreinsson
Seventeen sonnets on the philosophy of the heart are new songs by Professor Thorvaldur Gylfason set to 17 sonnets by poet-philosopher Kristján Hreinsson, a small fraction of Mr. Hreinsson´s more than 400 sonnets. The songs are composed for tenor, baritone, piano, cello, saxophone, percussion, and strings, arranged by composer Thórir Baldursson. The songs and poetry are an ode to philosophy, and the music aims in places to reflect the local colors of the philosophers.
Bergthór Pálsson baritone, Garðar Cortes tenor, Selma Guðmundsdóttir piano, Júlía Mogensen cello, Jón Elvar Hafsteinsson guitar, Pétur Grétarsson percussion og Sigurður Flosason saxophone performed all 17 sonnets in Harpa in August 2013. The poet gave a brief introduction to each number. The poems were projected onto a screen behind the stage. (See slides.) Lysis Films (a.k.a. Í einni sæng) filmed the concert.
PROGAM
1. Leibniz Sonnet
Einsöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Garðar, Selma. Síðasta lag fyrir fréttir ríkisútvarpsins 6. desember 2014.
2. Schopenhauer Sonnet
Einsöngur, píanó og selló: PDF, Sibelius, Söngur og píanó
Bergþór, Júlía, Selma.
3. Gandhi Sonnet
Tvísöngur, píanó, selló, sítar, saxófónn og sneriltromma: PDF, Sibelius, Söngur og píanó
Bergþór, Garðar, Jón Elvar, Júlía, Pétur, Selma, Sigurður.
4. Liebestraum Sonnet
Tvísöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Bergþór, Garðar, Selma.
5. Lao-Tses Sonnet
Tvísöngur, píanó, selló, harpa og saxófónn: PDF, Sibelius, Söngur og píanó
Bergþór, Garðar, Jón Elvar, Júlía, Selma, Sigurður.
6. Luxuriant Soul Sonnet
Einsöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Garðar, Selma.
7. Decartes Sonnet
Einsöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Sonnettan flutt á flautu og píanó:
Bergþór, Selma.
8. Garden Bliss Sonnet
Einsöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Sonnettan flutt á flautu og píanó:
Garðar, Selma.
9. Constitution Sonnet
Tvísöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Bergþór, Garðar, Selma.
10. Lotus Flower Sonnet
Einsöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Bergþór, Selma. Birtist í Íslensk einsöngslög 4, Ísalög, Reykjavík, 2018.
11. Marx Sonnet
Einsöngur, píanó og selló: PDF, Sibelius
Sonnettan flutt á lágfiðlu, píanó og selló:
Garðar, Júlía, Selma.
12. Book-of-Life Sonnet
Tvísöngur og píanó: PDF, Sibelius
Sonnettan flutt á lágfiðlu, píanó og selló:
Bergþór, Garðar, Selma.
13. Socrates Sonnet
Tvísöngur, píanó, selló, grísk lúta, bjöllutromma, bassatromma: PDF, Sibelius, Söngur og píanó
Bergþór, Garðar, Jón Elvar, Júlía, Pétur, Selma.
14. Mandela Sonnet
Einsöngur, píanó og selló: PDF, Sibelius, Söngur og píanó
Bergþór, Júlía, Selma.
15. Kierkegaard Sonnet
Tvísöngur, píanó og selló: PDF, Sibelius, Söngur og píanó
Sonnettan flutt á tvö horn, píanó og selló:
Bergþór, Garðar, Júlía, Selma.
16. Castro Sonnet
Tvísöngur, píanó, selló, saxófónn, kontrabassi og kongatromma: PDF, Sibelius
Sonnettan flutt sem suðræn sveifla:
Bergþór, Garðar, Jón Elvar, Júlía, Pétur, Selma, Sigurður.
17. Nietzsche Sonnet
Tvísöngur, píanó, selló, kirkjuklukkur og saxófónn: PDF, Sibelius, Söngur og píanó
Bergþór, Garðar, Júlía, Pétur, Selma, Sigurður.
KIERKEGAARD SONNET
Sören Kierkegaard was a remarkable man,
an amazing soul living from day to day
– his philosophy had room for religion –
and the magic of his poetry was strong.
For decades, it was ever his wont
to devote time and care to his great art,
he worshipped God and spoke with Christ,
all with mighty flights of fancy.
Then he wrote a book about Fear and trembling,
as well as about Repetition,
he longed for hope and tender love
though in his thoughts he was ever on the run.
He viewed, in the grievous misery of tradition,
each marriage as the burial place of love.
