Víkingur plays Brahms

In March 2025, The Iceland Symphony Orchestra celebrates the 75th anniversery of its first ever concert. In this celebratory concert, we commemorate this milestone with a selection of great works conducted by ISO's chief conductor Eva Ollikainen.

Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the most sought-after classical musicians in the world today. This season, he performs with orchestras such as the Berlin, London and New York Philharmonic orchestra, and premieres, among other works, John Adams' new piano concerto with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Víkingur has received numerous international awards for his performances and his recordings, released by Deutsche Grammophon, have been streamed over 900 million times on major streaming platforms. In this concert, Víkingur takes on Johannes Brahms' second piano concerto, a monumental masterpiece in which soloist and orchestra share everything from from delicate lyricism to intense, symphonic passion.

"Ein Heldenleben," or "A Hero's Life," is one of Richard Strauss's most famous tone poems. Strauss composed the work at the height of his fame as a successful composer and sought-after conductor. In "A Hero's Life," the composer himself becomes the protagonist, a superhero of sorts, confronting the challenges of the world.

The concert begins with a new festive overture by Ingibjörg Ýr Skarphéðinsdóttir, commissioned for the occasion. The programme also features another premiere – that of "Darraðarljóð" (The Poems of Dörruður) by Jón Leifs, one of the pioneers of Icelandic music. Written for choir and orchestra, this work from 1964 is inspired by the mysterious chant of the Norns in the Saga of Burnt Njal.