Nordic Music Days

The Nordic Music Days festival, held in Iceland from 29 September through 1 October, opens with a magnificent concert of four recent orchestral works. Esa-Pekka Salonen's 2009 Violin Concerto is one of the cornerstones of the Finnish genius' oeuvre. Alex Ross, critic from The New Yorker magazine, called it one of the most poignant works in recent years, and indeed, it brought Salonen the revered Grawemeyer prize. Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, one of Iceland's premier composers, is this year's composer-in-residence with the New York Philharmonic. Her orchestral work Aeriality, written for the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, can be found on a CD of her work, which was issued by Deutsche Grammophon to enthusiastic response. 

Danish composer Juliana Hodkinson received the 2015 Carl Nielsen prize for her music, which uses a variety of media in interesting and captivating ways. This programme includes one of her newest pieces, a small concerto for electric guitar and orchestra. In his large, expansive orchestral piece, Swedish composer Benjamin Staern builds on Buddhist ideas about the five elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and void.

Russian conductor Daniel Raiskin has attracted considerable attention for his powerful and well-crafted performances. Currently the Chief Conductor of the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz, Raiskin first conducted the ISO in January 2016, with such outstanding results that he was invited to return at his first opportunity.