Sitting in the living room and trying to work or just chill is becoming almost impossible in our building. Especially in the apartment which I live in. Constant noise, the sound of hammers, the breaking down of walls, workers passing by the door of our apartment every few minutes. Yes. The first neighbor is refurbishing her apartment. It's not that this building is old and that something needs to be renovated in any of the apartments... but the neighbor is simply rearranging the layout of the rooms in her apartment. Taking out the wall between the living room and kitchen and making it into an open space. The two bathrooms are changing the look, doors, windows are getting replaced with different ones. If you live in a building and ever experienced this kind of situation you will know what I am talking about. But, it will finish one day, maybe not so soon as we would like it. However, this whole living room noise reminded me of a nicer living room noise. The project that Ólafur Arnalds made some ten years ago, Living Room Songs. I think I will be with these songs for some weeks until the neighbor's apartment is finished.
Maybe I would have to set the volume of this music to the max, to be louder than the noise! It is so gentle! So soft! Completely reminds me of the album shared in one of the posts by @ edje. I will try my method but are you interested to hear how sounds the music from the living room of one apartment in Iceland? If yes, stay with me and listen to these tracks if you like.
The story of the creation of this album starts in the living room of this pianist, who was composing a song one evening with his piano. As he didn't have his phone to record the sound of the song he was working on, he recorded it in video format with his MacBook. He liked the atmosphere and the idea was born. Record songs in his living room. Another nice feature is that he wanted to have guests included in the process of creation and recording. So he was inviting people every day during the first week in the month of October 2011 to his place and recorded and uploaded the songs on daily basis. Each song could be downloaded for free until the album was completed on the seventh day. Wow, a whole album in one week, with the whole audiovisual production. Cool, isn't it?
The songs from this album (that became it after publishing the seven videos) are played by him on the piano and on violins, violas, cello by the guests. One of the songs includes electronic sounds, the second song. The sound of all of them calls for introspection, a bit of melancholy but above all, beauty. Simplicity. Life. The videos show details from his home, a bookshelf, a soft toy, family photos, lights, street. The camera acts as the eyes of an imaginary guest that enjoys the scene and intimate atmosphere of the people playing the instruments. Someone who is melting into one with that music. Could be any of us, indeed, just watch (and listen to) the videos, and you are transported to Ólafur's living room.
Although I do not speak Icelandic, I could guess that this word means First. And that is exactly the meaning of this song. The first in this seven days series. But the composer also reveals a secret, he wrote it after a period of creative block that he experienced.
It is calm, and perfect as an introduction. The light of the candles are bringing a nice feeling, I would stay there, wrapped at that moment, with his piano, the two violins (played by Gréta Salóme Stefánsdóttir and Margrét Soffía Einarsdóttir) viola (Roland Hartwell), and cello (Unnur Jónsdóttir).
The only song that includes electronic sounds and beats. Apart from his piano, and two violins, viola, and a cello, his mom and sister came to his place and helped with the song playing the synths. So emotional, I think, including close family members into the creation. At least, I would be so honored if it would happen to me. The violins were played by Roland Hartwell and Margrét Soffía Einarsdóttir, the viola by Arndís Hulda Auðunsdóttir, the cello by Karl Jóhann Bjarnason. The drum loop operation was supervised by Fríða Ósk Arnalds and the Korg MS-10 synth by Guðrún Pálmadóttir.
This third song is a variation on a theme that he wrote for the movie Another Happy Day. In the movie, there were used other versions of this tune, so this is another, a new variation of it. Here, he is not playing the piano, but he is conducting the strings. Imagine, listening to your composed music, played in your home by your friends. Heavenly.
A piano solo song, that was born the year before this version, on the stage in Berlin in his solo piano tour. That was a tour where he improvised, so kind of forced to bring out new songs from his heart and mind on the moment, on the stage. Beautiful one, and inspirational!! Love the sound of the pedal, and the mechanism of the piano! Tomorrow, a concept that gives a place for imagination.
Can you imagine this song that was actually using a lot of electronic sounds and vocals? Well, that was the original, but he made an acoustic version for this mini-series, just one violin, one viola, and his piano. I feel the full sound that is achieved, even with those three instruments.
The translation would be Song For Grandma. Missing his grandma that passed away the year before, an emotional song came out from this pianist's soul. One of the hardest things he did is to play it live in one concert in Italy. He says that this was the only time he cried in a concert, and it was hard for him to speak. Tears came to the listeners' eyes too. This time he is using more instruments and obtaining a sound that will not leave you without deep emotions either. The whole orchestra was meant to be shown steadily, not from the beginning of the song. A nice gradation. Violins (Margrét Soffía Einarsdóttir, Hólmfríður Guðmundsdóttir, Edda Hreinsdóttir, Karl Pestka, Lilja Kjartansdóttir, Ísak Orri, Ólöf Júlía and Ester Petra Gunnarsdóttir). Violas: Roland Hartwell, Arndís Hulda Auðunsdóttir, Herdís Anna Jónsdóttir and Eyjólfur Alfreðsson. Cellos: Sólveig Birna and Karl Jóhann Bjarnason.
The last song in this series, the closing one was called This Place Is a Shelter. Representing his home as a shelter for all his guests that participated during those days of practicing and recording. It was a wrap party, where they watched all the songs recorded and published until then, and later, the sounds of that song were brought to the air. To their hearts. To our hearts too. Do you have a place that can be a warm shelter for you, and you feel safe there? We should all have it, and if not, create it with people you respect and love.
The whole video, with the seven songs and behind-the-scenes interview, can be checked out HERE .
The cover photo of Living Room Songs is from Discogs, where also photos of the whole nice booklet can be seen.
Hope you enjoyed this little tour in the living room of Ólafur Arnalds and I hope too, my living room will become this peaceful as his one. One day.
