Bertrand de Billy Conducts Brahms

The first subscription concert of the season will be under the steady hand of Bertrand de Billy, the Iceland Symphony's new Principal Guest Conductor. De Billy performs regularly with the world's foremost orchestras, including the Salzburg Festival and New York's Metropolitan Opera. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Dresdner Philharmonie in Dresden. 

In Iceland, Bertrand de Billy's performances will include all of Brahms' symphonies, so it is fitting that this programme should include Brahms' Symphony no. 1. Brahms struggled with the symphony early on, finding it difficult to fill the undeniably large shoes of Beethoven, the master of the symphonic form, but the outcome was more than worth the effort. Indeed, some refer to Brahms no. 1 as “Beethoven's Tenth”. The Academic Overture is one of Brahms' liveliest symphonic works, a medley of rousing student songs providing the ideal segue from summer holidays to the new concert season. 

Jörgen van Rijen is principal trombonist with the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, widely considered one of the best orchestras in the world. Van Rijen has received numerous awards for his performances, including the Netherlands Music Prize, and has worked closely with contemporary composers such as James MacMillan and Kalevi Aho. In Iceland he performs Henri Tomasi's Concerto for Trombone, a work that is lyrical yet features a lilting jazz style and has for decades been one of the most frequently performed trombone concerti in the literature.