Veronique Vaka
Erda
Duration: 10'
Instrumentation details:
alto flute (+fl)
clarinet in Bb (+bass cl(Bb))
bassoon
harp
piano
1st violin
2nd violin
viola
violoncello
Erda
Sample pages
Work introduction
ERDA, for two solo violins and small ensemble (2024)
Written for Niklas Walentin and Ensemble Storstrøm
Erda is the geologic narrative of the events prior to the 1996 eruption under Vatnajökull and its impact on the glacier. The programme note is written by Stephen Lezak, writer, researcher, and advocate working at the intersection of climate politics and environmental justice
More so than any other form of existence, glaciers bridge the distance between the turbulent human world and the inscrutable world of the eternal. They achieve this by being simultaneously timeless and ephemeral—inscribing the pre-historic past but threatening to vanish as our planet changes more rapidly with each passing year. And through their double-life, they offer an unparalleled wisdom: the invitation to connect the “deep time” of geology to the diurnal, fleeting time of humanity. - Stephen Lezak (2024)
World premiere: 28 August 2024, Møn, Denmark, Soundscape by Møn Summerkoncert, 7th Edition. Niklas Walentin, Stéphane Tran Ngoc and the Danish Chamber Players (Ensemble Storstrøm)
Commissioned by Ensemble Storstrøm
Supported by the Icelandic Artists’ Salary, and STEFs-Nótnasjóður