Operetta music and waltzes by Franz von Suppé, Emile Waldteufel, Johann Strauss the younger, and Franz Lehár, including selections from Die Fledermaus (The Bat) and The Merry Widow.
Karen Kamensek
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbeinn Ketilsson
Operetta music and waltzes by Franz von Suppé, Emile Waldteufel, Johann Strauss the younger, and Franz Lehár, including selections from Die Fledermaus (The Bat) and The Merry Widow.
Karen Kamensek
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbeinn Ketilsson
Operetta music and waltzes by Franz von Suppé, Emile Waldteufel, Johann Strauss the younger, and Franz Lehár, including selections from Die Fledermaus (The Bat) and The Merry Widow.
Karen Kamensek
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbeinn Ketilsson
Operetta music and waltzes by Franz von Suppé, Emile Waldteufel, Johann Strauss the younger, and Franz Lehár, including selections from Die Fledermaus (The Bat) and The Merry Widow.
Karen Kamensek
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbeinn Ketilsson
George F. Händel Tornami a vagheggiar from Alcinu
W.A. Mozart Der hölle Rache from The Magic Flute
Giuseppe Verdi La traviata, overture
Vincenzo Bellini Ah! Non giunge from La sonnambula
Richard Strauss Horn Concerto no. 2
Georg Philipp Telemann Viola Concerto
Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto no. 3
Daniel Raiskin
Bryndís Guðjónsdóttir, soprano
Ásta Kristín Pjetursdóttir, viola
Guðmundur Andri Ólafsson, horn
Romain Þór Denuit, piano
Grażyna Bacewicz Overture for orchestra
Dmitri Shostakovich Cello Concerto no. 1
Richard Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra
David Danzmayr
Alban Gerhardt
John Luther Adams Sila: The Breath of the World
Daníel Bjarnason
ISO Youth Orchestra
Students from the Academy of Arts
Gísli Magnússon Akvocirkulado (premiere)
Veronique Vaka Jacques Rift (premiere)
Daníel Bjarnason
Elísabet Indra Ragnarsdóttir
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart The Magic Flute, Overture
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 5, “The Emperor”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony no. 41, “Jupiter
Matthew Halls
Paul Lewis
The programme will include music from Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Ghostbusters, and other popular films.
Bernharður Wilkinson
Ævar Þór Benediktsson
Svart Design
Sergei Prokofiev Lieutenant Kijé Suite
Áskell Másson Silverstream (Premiere)
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony no. 6
Osmo Vänskä
Einar Jóhannesson
Gideon Klein String Trio
Olivier Messiaen Selections from Quartet for the End of Time
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony no. 6
Osmo Vänskä
Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir violin
Þórunn Ósk Marínósdóttir viola
Bryndís Halla Gylfadóttir cello
Domenico Codispoti piano
Jónas Tómasson Sinfóníetta II
Robert Schumann Violin Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no. 5, “Fate”
Eivind Aadland
Baiba Skride
The latter Children’s Hour concert of the season features a variety of light, entertaining pieces and music specially selected to welcome the spring
Hjördís Ástráðsdóttir
Charles Gounod Symphony no. 2
Sergei Prokofiev Violin Concerto no. 1
Maurice Ravel La Valse
Nicola Lolli
Robert Schumann Three songs from Myrthen op. 25
Robert Schumann Geistervariationen
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no. 5, “Fate”
Þóra Einarsdóttir
Anna Guðný Guðmundsdóttir
Guðrún Dalía Salómonsdóttir
Anton Webern Passacaglia
Richard Wagner Wesendonck-lieder
Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Karita Mattila
Richard Strauss Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 4
Jean Sibelius Symphony no. 1
Santtu-Matias Rouvali
Hélène Grimaud
Hermann Bäumer
Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir
Elmar Gilbertsson
Kristinn Sigmundsson
Schola Cantorum
Hörður Áskelsson
Fréderic Chopin Piano Concerto no. 2
Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphony no. 2
Nobuyuki Tsujii
Miloš Forman and Peter Shaffer's Amadeus
Ludwig Wicki
Motet Choir of Hallgrímskirkja
Hörður Áskelsson
Miloš Forman and Peter Shaffer's Amadeus
Ludwig Wicki
Motet Choir of Hallgrímskirkja
Hörður Áskelsson
Elín Gunnlaugsdóttir and Laila Margrét Arnþórsdóttir The Dragon Within Me
Bernharður Wilkinson
Þórunn Arna Kristjánsdóttir
Ragnar Kjartansson and Kjartan Sveinsson War
Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
Ragnar Kjartansson and Kjartan Sveinsson War
Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
Ragnar Kjartansson and Kjartan Sveinsson War
Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
Winner of the 2005 Sibelius Competition, Alina Pogostkina's recent concert tours have seen her perform at some of the world's most renowned festivals and venues. She has collaborated with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy and Gustavo Dudamel, and highlights of this season include her debut with Budapest Festival Orchestra with Marin Alsop, and opening the BBC Symphony Orchestra concerts season at the Barbican Centre under the baton of Sakari Oramo. The Sibelius concerto is one of the cornerstones of the violin literature, and Pogostkina is sure to coax out the innumerable nuances in the work on her Stradivarius “Sasserno” violin, made in 1717.
Sweden's Daniel Blendulf is a multi-award-winning conductor. On this programme, he conducts Saariaho's atmospheric Ciel d'hiver, which is inspired by the Nordic winter sky. The Concerto for Orchestra was one of the last works Hungarian master Béla Bartók completed before his death from leukaemia in 1945. The work showcases all aspects of the orchestra, giving each section a chance to shine in what has become one of the most popular orchestral pieces of the 20th century.
Violinist Janine Jansen had to cancel her performance due to illness. In her place we welcome the award-winning violinist Alina Pogostkina.
Kaija Saariaho Ciel d’hiver (Winter Sky)
Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto
Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
Daniel Blendulf
Alina Pogostkina
Motet Choir of Hallgrímskirkja
Uzbek child prodigy Behzod Abduraimov captured the hearts of Iceland Symphony's guests in the autumn of 2015, when he performed Prokofiev's Piano Concerto no. 3 so brilliantly that the audience was stunned. Now he is back, with one of the most popular concerti of all time: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 2 is lyrical yet majestic – a celebration of pyrotechnics for anyone who loves piano music at its best.
Florence Price, the first African-American woman known to have dedicated herself to symphonic composition, enjoyed a successful career. Her first symphony won the top prize in the Wanamaker Foundation competition in 1932 and was subsequently performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Interest in her works has resurfaced in recent years, and now she is being performed for the first time in Iceland. American conductor Joshua Weilerstein won first prize in the 2009 Malko Competition. Since then he has travelled the world over, including conducting engagements with all of the major Nordic orchestras and the renowned Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.
Ludwig van Beethoven Egmont Overture
Florence Price Symphony no. 1
Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2
Joshua Weilerstein
Behzod Abduraimov
The Icelandic Opera will be performing the opera Brothers by the Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason based on Susanne Bier’s film Brothers at the Reykjavík's Arts Festival in June 2018. The opera was world-premiered in the Concert Hall Aarhus in August 2017 – in connection with European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017 and the production in Iceland will be the same as in Aarhus. Brothers will be directed by Kasper Holten, and Steffen Aarfing is the stage designer. The libretto is written by Kerstin Perski.
The film Brothers is a story of two brothers and a love triangle. Michael has a successful career in the army, a beautiful wife and two daughters. His younger brother Jannik is a drifter living on the edge of the law. When Michael is sent on a UN mission to Afghanistan and returns after a traumatic imprisonment, the balance between the two brothers is changed forever.
The opera is performed in English.
Oddur Arnþór Jónsson
Marie Arnet
Selma Buch Ørum Villumsen
Elmar Gilbertsson
Þóra Einarsdóttir
James Laing
Jakob Zethner
Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir
Paul Carey Jones
Daníel Bjarnason
Kerstin Perski
Kasper Holten
The Icelandic Opera will be performing the opera Brothers by the Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason based on Susanne Bier’s film Brothers at the Reykjavík's Arts Festival in June 2018. The opera was world-premiered in the Concert Hall Aarhus in August 2017 – in connection with European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017 and the production in Iceland will be the same as in Aarhus. Brothers will be directed by Kasper Holten, and Steffen Aarfing is the stage designer. The libretto is written by Kerstin Perski.
The film Brothers is a story of two brothers and a love triangle. Michael has a successful career in the army, a beautiful wife and two daughters. His younger brother Jannik is a drifter living on the edge of the law. When Michael is sent on a UN mission to Afghanistan and returns after a traumatic imprisonment, the balance between the two brothers is changed forever.
The opera is performed in English.
Oddur Arnþór Jónsson
Marie Arnet
Selma Buch Ørum Villumsen
Elmar Gilbertsson
Þóra Einarsdóttir
James Laing
Jakob Zethner
Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir
Paul Carey Jones
Daníel Bjarnason
Kerstin Perski
Kasper Holten
Selections from the Litli tónsprotinn repertoire
Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
Brynhildur Guðjónsdóttir
Leonard Bernstein Overture to Candide
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, 1st movement
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony no. 3, 4th movement
Maurice Ravel Bolero
Klaus Mäkelä
Sigrún Eðvaldsdóttir
Heavy metal band Skálmöld and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra's concert in November 2013 was a huge success. Now they will join forces again in two concerts in August.
Bernharður Wilkinson
Reykjavík Men's Choir
Hymnodia Chamber Choir
Kársnes School Choir
Heavy metal band Skálmöld and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra's concert in November 2013 was a huge success. Now they will join forces again in two concerts in August.
Bernharður Wilkinson
Reykjavík Men's Choir
Hymnodia Chamber Choir
Kársnes School Choir
Heavy metal band Skálmöld and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra's concert in November 2013 was a huge success. Now they will join forces again in two concerts in August.
Bernharður Wilkinson
Reykjavík Men's Choir
Hymnodia Chamber Choir
Kársnes School Choir
Heavy metal band Skálmöld and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra's concert in November 2013 was a huge success. Now they will join forces again in two concerts in August.
Bernharður Wilkinson
Reykjavík Men's Choir
Hymnodia Chamber Choir
Kársnes School Choir
What is your favourite Icelandic composition? Is it Brennið þið, vitar by Páll Ísólfsson or Smávinir fagrir by Jón Nordal? Or perhaps Vökuró by Jórunn Viðar? The Our Classics concerts held by the ISO and the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) in the past two years have been welcomed by concertgoers with open arms. This year, as we celebrate Iceland’s centenary as a sovereign nation, we are holding yet another, featuring Icelandic music from the 20th and 21st centuries.
The works that received the most votes in the election will be performed in Eldborg hall at a special gala concert, a pre-season taste of the upcoming year at the ISO.The conductor is Daníel Bjarnason, and Iceland’s leading singers and choirs will be on hand as needed.
Masters of ceremonies are Oddný Halla Magnúsdóttir and Guðni Tómasson, and the concert will be broadcast live on RÚV Television’s Channel 1.
Sigfús Einarsson Draumalandið
Karl O. Runólfsson Í fjarlægð
Sigvaldi Kaldalóns Ave Maria
Páll Ísólfsson Í dag skein sól
Jón Leifs Icelandic Dances op. 11 no. 4
Jón Nordal Hvert örstutt spor
Jórunn Viðar Vökuró
Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson Sveitin milli sanda
Atli Heimir Sveinsson Snert hörpu mína
Sigurður Þórðarson Sjá, dagar koma
Páll Ísólfsson Brennið þið, vitar
Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson Heyr himna smiður
Jón Ásgeirsson Hjá lygnri móðu
Jón Nordal Smávinir fagrir
Atli Heimir Intermezzo from Dimmalimm
Hildigunnur Rúnarsdóttir Sanctus from Mass of Guðbrandur
Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson Siciliano from Columbine
Daníel Bjarnason Bow to String, 3. mvt.
Jórunn Viðar Eldur
Páll Ísólfsson Úr útsæ rísa íslands fjöll
Daníel Bjarnason
Emilía Rós Sigfúsdóttir
Katie Buckley
Sæunn Þorsteinsdóttir
Hallveig Rúnarsdóttir
Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir
Sveinn Dúa Hjörleifsson
Þóra Einarsdóttir
Langholtskirkja Graduale Choir
The Hamrahlíð Choir
Fóstbræður Male Choir
Kársnes School Choir
The Philharmonia Choral Society
Hector Berlioz Hungarian March
Béla Bartók Violin Concerto no. 2
Maurice Ravel Trio in a minor (arr. Tortelier)
Maurice Ravel Bolero
Renaud Capuçon
Felix Mendelssohn Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture
Hector Berlioz Les nuits d’été
Richard Strauss Serenade for Winds
Richard Strauss Death and Transfiguration
Véronique Gens
Classical favourites and high-energy songs are a permanent part of this enjoyable programme
Barbara the Clown
Richard Strauss Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks
Richard Strauss Four Last Songs
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 5
Petri Sakari
Þóra Einarsdóttir
Pēteris Vasks Viatore (Homage to Arvo Pärt)
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony no. 5
Daniel Raiskin
Repeated by popular demand
Ari Eldjárn
Bernharður Wilkinson
Repeated by popular demand
Ari Eldjárn
Bernharður Wilkinson
Repeated by popular demand
Ari Eldjárn
Bernharður Wilkinson
Tryggvi M. Baldvinsson Fanfare for an Uncommon Mouse
Jórunn Viðar from Ólafur Liljurós
Anna Þorvaldsdóttir from Hrím
Haukur Tómasson from Storka
Jón Ásgeirsson Dance of the Trolls
Gunnsteinn Ólafsson Þýtur í stráum
Bára Grímsdóttir The Stowaways
Daníel Bjarnason from Collider
Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir Maxi’s Song
Daníel Bjarnason
Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir and
Þórarinn Már Baldursson
Unnur Eggertsdóttir
Leonard Bernstein Overture to Candide
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony no. 10
Klaus Mäkelä
Sayaka Shoji
Olivier Messiaen Les offrandes oubliées (The Forgotten Offerings)
Robert Schumann Piano Concerto
Josef Suk Pohádka (Fairy Tale)
Bertrand de Billy
Jan Lisiecki
Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson Gletscherlied
Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto no. 2
Jean Sibelius Symphony no. 2
Jean-Philippe Rameau Les Indes galantes, suite
J.S. Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 2
W.A. Mozart Symphony no. 38, Prague
Dirk Vermeulen
Baldvin Oddsson
Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir
Felicia Greciuc
Nicola Lolli
Film by Óskar Gíslason and soundtrack by Jórunn Viðar
Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir
Ingibjörg Þorbergs The Christmas Cat
Jórunn Viðar Það á að gefa börnum brauð and Jól
Guðni Franzson Jólin koma
Gunnar Þórðarson Óður til jólanna
More Christmas classics
Bernharður Wilkinson
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbrún Völkudóttir
Ingibjörg Þorbergs The Christmas Cat
Jórunn Viðar Það á að gefa börnum brauð and Jól
Guðni Franzson Jólin koma
Gunnar Þórðarson Óður til jólanna
More Christmas classics
Bernharður Wilkinson
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbrún Völkudóttir
Ingibjörg Þorbergs The Christmas Cat
Jórunn Viðar Það á að gefa börnum brauð and Jól
Guðni Franzson Jólin koma
Gunnar Þórðarson Óður til jólanna
More Christmas classics
Bernharður Wilkinson
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbrún Völkudóttir
Ingibjörg Þorbergs The Christmas Cat
Jórunn Viðar Það á að gefa börnum brauð and Jól
Guðni Franzson Jólin koma
Gunnar Þórðarson Óður til jólanna
More Christmas classics
Bernharður Wilkinson
Valgerður Guðnadóttir
Kolbrún Völkudóttir
