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Jón Leifs (1899–1968)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

John Pickard
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Extract

This year sees the centenary (on 1 May) of the birth of the composer Jón Leifs. Had it fallen just a few years earlier the occasion would have attracted virtually no attention outside his native Iceland, but over the past four years a series of CD recordings, mainly from the Swedish label BIS, has done much to establish Leifs as a figure of far more than local significance. His output included three string quartets, piano music, songs, choral works (both accompanied and unaccompanied) a sizeable number of short orchestral works, an organ concerto, oratorios and the first ever symphony composed by an Icelander. The creative personality emerging with each new recording is among the most radical and original of the 20th century and this article is intended as a short introduction to the music of this remarkable composer.

Type
Research Article
Information
Tempo , Issue 208 , April 1999 , pp. 9 - 17
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1999

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References

* ‘The Earquake Experience – an explosive collection of Great Tunes, Driving Rhythms and Sonic Thrills’ performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leif Segerstam (Ondine ODE 894–2). The performance of Hekla –accurate but rather under tempo – is the final track. For other recordings of Leifs see the discography at the end of this article