Haddingjar (2016) Excerpt by Brent Lee published on 2019-07-08T13:41:37Z Haddingjar is a chamber work for five performers with live audio and video. The work is scored for alto saxophone, violin, guitar, percussion, and piano. In the spring of 2014 I spent several weeks in Norway working on a number of projects, and shot a considerable amount of video in Hallingskarvet National Park. The park is situated at the top of the mountain range in central Norway, and lies above the tree-line in many places. The severe glacial landscape is spotted with small huts and houses used by locals interested in hiking and skiing. I love the images of a sparse occupation of a very bleak and spacious landscape, and imagine a musical work that likewise emphasizes moments of focus and unity within expanses of rugged emptiness. These video clips form the basis for the optional video component to this piece, and also inspired the title: the Haddingjar are a mythological people said to have occupied this area in ancient times. The work was commissioned by the Rubbing Stone Ensemble with the generous assistance of the Ontario Arts Council. This recording is an excerpt from a live performance by the Noiseborder Ensemble performance in 2018. –BL Genre Classical