A Winged Victory for the Sullen

A Winged Victory for the Sullen

Two members of the band standing beside each other backstage.

Adam Wiltzie (left) and Dustin O'Halloran at Cactus Club in Bruges, Belgium.
Background information
Origin Brussels, Berlin
Genres Ambient, modern classical, drone
Years active 2011-present
Labels Kranky Records / Erased Tapes Records
Website www.awvfts.com
Members Dustin O'Halloran
Adam Wiltzie

A Winged Victory for the Sullen are an ambient music duo consisting of Dustin O'Halloran and Adam Wiltzie. They have released two studio albums and one EP. Their second album, Atomos, was released on October 6, 2014.[1] Their work has received mention in The Guardian,[2] the BBC,[3] and ABC Australia.[4]

Biography

On May 24, 2007, in Bologna, Italy, Wiltzie was on tour and playing with Sparklehorse, on what would be their final European tour. Wiltzie had invited friend and colleague Francesco Donadello to see the concert, and Francesco's guest that evening was composer Dustin O'Halloran, who had previously composed the official soundtrack for Marie Antoinette.

Wiltzie and O'Halloran met backstage, and the duo agreed to develop A Winged Victory for the Sullen with the help of large acoustic spaces, hunting down a selection of 9 ft grand pianos that had the ability to deliver extreme sonic low end. Other traditional instrumentation was used including string quartet, French horn, and bassoon, but always juxtaposed is the sound of drifting guitar washed melodies. The recordings began with one late night session in the famed Grunewald Church in Berlin on a 1950s imperial Bösendorfer piano and strings were added in the historic East Berlin DDR radio studios along the River Spree.

There was one last session on a handmade Fazioli piano in a private studio in Italy before the final mixes took place in a 17th-century villa near Ferrara with the assistance of Francesco Donadello. All songs were then processed completely analogue straight to magnetic tape. Notable guest musicians in the album include Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadottir, as well as Erased Tapes Records comrade Peter Broderick on violin.

The duo composed the original score for Atomos, a dance piece by contemporary choreographer Wayne McGregor and his company Wayne McGregor Random Dance. It premiered at Sadler's Wells, London, on 9 October 2013. An album of this score, Atomos, was released on October 6, 2014.[5]

Discography

Albums

EPs

References

  1. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=713121205417046&set=a.168753663187139.45781.135075579888281
  2. ↑ Lester, Paul (10 August 2011). "A Winged Victory for the Sullen (No 1,081)". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Sheppard, David (12 October 2011). "A Winged Victory for the Sullen A Winged Victory for the Sullen Review". BBC. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  4. ↑ Gough, Paul, The Quiet Space: Top Fifty Releases of 2011, January 2012, ABC Radio National.
  5. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/awvfts/posts/762467490482417
  6. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/awvfts/posts/762467490482417

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/aug/10/new-band-winged-victory-sullen

External links