Strik (2017)
Strik was written for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and was commissioned by Yrkja, a joint initiative between the ISO and Iceland Music Information Centre. It was premiered by the ISO, conducted by Daníel Bjarnason on Dark Music Days 2017
The piece’s title, Strik, means ‘lines’ in Icelandic, and is gotten from the multiple lines found throughout the piece. You can both find a horizontal line in the note D, which is held, repeated and shaken throughout most of the piece, but it is also constantly interrupted with short interjections and other sharp texture changes that can be interpreted as vertical lines. Finally, glissandi are a prominent feature, usually where material gets to slowly slide down like jam on a wall, but they can be interpreted as diagonal lines.
An alternate meaning to the title is that the word strik is the Danish word for knitting, but I frequently found myself describing the piece’s form like I was knitting a striped blanket without a recipe, while I was composing it.
I liked the idea that the title works both in Icelandic and Danish, since the piece was written in both counties.