Tuesday, October 10, 2023
6:30 pm Doors // 7:30 pm Music
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Acclaimed Icelandic pianist and post-classical composer Eydís Evensen announces her first North American tour — in support of her highly anticipated sophomore release, In Light, further expanding her artistic expression, presenting her not only as an astoundingly talented pianist, arranger, and lyricist but also for the first time as a vocalist.
Few artists are so effortlessly able to twist your heartstrings into a contortion of joy, sorrow and despair like Eydís Evensen — Wonderland Magazine
Classical music gamechanger — The Line Of Best Fit
Some time ago, Eydís Evensen wrote a poem. This poem became the basis of a two-part choir composition, describing “a beautiful light that froze,” before concluding with a glimmer of hard-fought hope. “ljósið fagra lifir enn ljósið fagra lifir enn,” echoing voices on the second part of that composition insist – translating in English to “the beautiful light still survives.” The words were a reminder, to herself and to the world, that no matter the darkness around you, there’ll come a point when the pain will begin to thaw, so it’s always worth holding on. “It represents there always being something beautiful at the end of even the most terrible experience,” the Blönduós-born model-turned-piano sensation insists, “no matter how terrible the ordeal.” These words ripple through every note and melody of her astonishing second album, titled – what else? – The Light. It’s a record inspired by the resilience in all of us, she says – our ability to stand firm in the face of personal and collective catastrophe.
The 29-year-old – who also sings on the album, for the first time – confronted her own hardships and sorrows in order to create The Light. Some were born from the crises we all endured together: the Covid-19 pandemic; her horror at Russia’s war on Ukraine; her dread that the glaciers and natural wonders of her native Iceland that inspired her to write music in the first place will soon be devastated by the impact of climate change. There were also personal ordeals – ghosts from her past to be exorcised, demons in her closet that pushed her to challenging brinks. As the toll of these situations weighed on her, Evensen did what she always did: she sat at her piano, stretched her fingers and began to play. “It’s always been like that,” smiles the artist. “I remember [as a child] walking to the piano and being able to let something out by playing the keys. It became a therapist and a best friend to me – I always felt better after I played.”
As a child, Eydís Evensen would stare out at the Westfjords as the wind howled around her, pretending to conduct the clouds. In these daydreams, she was a meteorological maestro: controlling the Icelandic stormfronts in the distance, bending the weather and the world to her will like an orchestra. “The weather was intense where I grew up but so inspiring. There was such harshness to our winters, but at the same time, such beauty. I used to sit there for hours,” recalls the Blönduós-born composer. Years later, Evensen is still finding musical expressions for the awe she feels when staring out at the vastness of nature.
Bylur, the pianist’s mesmerising debut album, is a calming contemporary classical diary of her life to date, that takes its name from the Icelandic word for ‘snowstorm.’ She chose that title for good reason. “All of these songs are moments from my life,” she says. “So many ups and downs. All of my joy, darkness, happiness, heartbreak and melancholia.” A snowstorm contain multitudes: there’s chaos and adversity to them, but beauty and fragility too. The same could be said about this emotionally eclectic album: an enchanting float of stirring piano melodies and tender strings from a force-of-nature new talent.
The Icelandic composer grew up in a town of 800 people in the rough and sparsely populated northern half of Iceland, in a music-obsessed household where Led Zeppelin and Tchaikovsky took turns on her parents’ record player. “As soon as I could stand, I was wandering over to the piano, wanting to play,” she remembers. “I started piano lessons aged six, then wrote my first piece of music aged seven, inspired by a storm outside.” By thirteen, she’d recorded a DIY album between classes at school, which she sold door-to-door in aid of a children’s charity. A place at Reykjavik’s Hamrahlíð College beckoned, where she would go on to sing in the world-renowned choir whose former choristers include Björk and members of Sigur Rós.
Inspired by Philip Glass, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Thom Yorke and any music where “you can sense the emotion behind the notes,” Evensen is looking ahead. “I didn’t have a vision for the album taking me and my career to a specific place. I just wanted it as a document of my life so far. That’s the biggest reward for me,” she says. Live shows are one thing she’s excited to delve further into and new music is already on the horizon (“I can’t wait to get back into the studio,” Evensen beams). “I’ve been dying to make this album for such a long time and now it’s here, I feel so fortunate,” the composer explains. “I hope it can get people into a warm headspace and bring them some calm.” Eydís Evensen has come a long way since the days when she would stare out at the Westfjords, pretending to conduct the clouds. It’s a journey that’s just beginning.