Jóhannsson: 12 Conversations with Thilo Heinzmann

12 Conversations with Thilo Heinzmann is the result of a collaboration between the late Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson and artist Thilo Heinzmann. Their discussions of art, politics, philosophy and personal matters over a four-year period resulted in this beautiful, intimate 12-movement work for string quartet alone, devoid of the composer’s customary electronic or digital effects. In it, Jóhannsson reflects on their wide-ranging dialogue by gathering together short distillations of his musical influences—the insistent pulse of Minimalism (“Stuk”), Baroque’s textural and melodic purity (“Lacrimosa”), the simple beauty of ancient chant (“Manifest”). Echo Collective give life and vibrant colour to these often heartbreaking vignettes.