Until recently, Leifs’ vocal music has been overshadowed by the spectacular orchestral works. Aside from the Iceland Cantata (5/96) and unaccompanied (non-liturgical) Requiem (12/99), the only vocal works issued up till now have been works employing a chorus as an extra dimension of an orchestral fabric – such as the Icelandic Overture (5/96, 12/99), Landfall (ITM) and Dettifoss (9/99). Now both BIS and the Icelandic ITM have switched their focus firmly onto works that are first and foremost vocal in design.
BIS’s programme is the most varied in texture, leading off with his surging, dramatic setting of Einar Benediktsson’s poem Hafis (‘Drift Ice’, 1965), most impressively sung by Schola Cantorum, whose control of the extremes of pitch and dynamics Leifs demands is as awesome as the natural spectacle depicted. The Two Songs, Op 14a, are much earlier, dating from 1929-30, although the second, Lullaby, was reworked in 1936 (the original is included as an epilogue to the programme). There is nothing of the composer’s familiar massiveness in these gentle miniatures, and Ingveldur Yr Jonsdottir’s performances have great charm. So does the performance of Nott (‘Night’, 1964), a subtle and atmospheric evocation of night for tenor, baritone and small orchestra with one brief – highly suggestive – climax at its centre. Anne Manson drives the music along perhaps a touch too much; Johann Arnell’s quieter, slightly slower version for ITM is more sensitive and beautifully sung by Einar Clausen and Bergthor Palsson. Conversely, Manson (again swifter) achieves a more dramatic, almost operatic, account of The Lay of Gudrun (1940); if Thorunn Gudmundsdottir, Gudbjorn Gudbjornsson and Gudjon Oskarsson are more assured vocally for Arnell on ITM, it is Manson’s trio of Ingveldur Yr Jonsdottir, Gunnar Gudbjornsson and Loftur Erlingsson who are to be preferred.
With nearly half of each disc duplicated and performance and recording honours even, your choice will depend mainly on the larger programmes. BIS gives a broader picture of Leifs’ music, including a more apocalyptic account of Fine I even than Sakari on Chandos, whereas ITM – with premiere recordings of The Lay of Helgi Hunding’s Bane (1964) and Groa’s Spell (1965) – gathers the four large-scale solo voice(s)-and-orchestral pieces onto one disc. The latter arrangement has obvious attractions, plus top-notch playing from the Reykjavik CO. Both discs are tremendous; if forced to choose just one it would be ITM’s, but there’s much to be said for having both.'