"The Arts and the Hours"

Shared by friend John H. A beautiful piece of music with a look at collectors who go through their whole life collecting specific things, archiving them, and taking care of their collection at their home.

This beautiful piece of music from Rameau’s final opera, ‘Les Boréades’, written in 1763 when Rameau was 80. Ólafsson transcribed it for the modern piano because its colorful resonance allows for new and interesting textural possibilities in a piece that seems so ahead of its time: its rich harmonies of suspended 9ths and 11ths one could almost imagine Mahler writing in the late 19th century.

"There is a timeless quality to the music that we felt was matched by the spirit of the gorgeous house. It is about time’s passing and art - ‘Ars longa vita brevis’ - and as a counterpoint to the three verses in the music we have three different characters appearing in their respective homes, surrounded by objects they are passionate about and which they have gathered over a long period of time. It is about listening to your heart." - Víkingur Ólafsson

"As we continued to talk about this, we started to discuss people that are obsessive collectors and go through their whole life collecting specific things, archiving them, and taking care of their collection at their home. It is often really fascinating how people can be in love with random things and to see their sensitivity and delicacy that go into these collections." - Magnús Leifsson