Performers & composers

Atli Ingólfsson

Atli Ingólfsson was born in Iceland in 1962. He concluded his studies in classical guitar, theory and composition and philosophy (Reykjavík School of Music, University of Iceland) and published a book of poetry, before proceeding his composition studies at the Milan Conservatory with Davide Anzaghi. In 1988 he attended the summer course held by Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and moved to Paris, where he studied with Gérard Grisey, subsequently working as his assistant. In Paris he also attended the analysis courses held at IRCAM and the lessons of Betsy Jolas and Claude Ballif at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieur. At present he lives in Reykjavík. Some of his recent pieces are published by BMG Ricordi in Milan. His first profile cd was issued by BIS in Stockholm last year.

COMPOSITION

I have generally chosen to discard the problem of sincerity in art, or rather to confine it to a statement such as: "The work itself has a way of being sincere. The author cannot be totally sincere." This is quite a complex matter if we begin thinking of it, especially in regard to such a highly formalized genre as written music is, and especially today in the presence of a myriad of different idioms. I guess that somehow, for each work, we create an author, and that he in some bizarre way could claim to be sincere (if he were real...). But what happens when I put different works together and partly alter their original intentions, when I begin remixing, deviating or mocking the originals? Well, in my case it's a totally natural operation. Already as a child when I burst into tears I was capable of looking into the mirror and making a funny face. I guess I was composing myself, since the word compositionsimply refers to putting something together and I put a funny face on top of a crying one. However that might be, here we have a cycle by the name of Composition, three solo pieces that reflect my attitude towards the art of musical composition, form and its opposite, placed side by side in a composition of compositions that hopefully breeds on the energy that stems from the friction between them and the friction between supposed - , real - , make-believe- , impossible – or violent sincerity. 

The Poing trio was a tremendous source of inspiration for the completion of this work. It is dedicated to the trio.