The belief that music, at its most vital, knows no borders: Icelandic record label/collective Bedroom Community is 20

Nico Muhly, Valgeir Sigurðsson, & Ben Frost in Reykjavík in 2007 (Photo: Bedroom Community)

Icelandic record label/collective Bedroom Community is 20 this year. Founded in Reykjavík in 2006 by Icelandic composer and producer Valgeir Sigurðsson, together with American composer Nico Muhly and Australian-Icelandic producer Ben Frost, it reminagined how could be created, recorded, and shared with the world.

Valgeir Sigurðsson spent eight years as the studio right-hand to Iceland’s art-pop icon Björk. Ben Frost describes how he "spent unholy amounts of time alone in a bedroom in Australia making highly questionable music when I met Valgeir in the year 2000." Starting with just a laptop and headphones, exploratory spirit and experimental process led to a desire to dissolve the borders between classical and electronic, tradition and technology, the concert hall and the bedroom.

"The record that opened the room" was Nico Muhly's Speaks Volumes, seven pieces produced and mixed by Valgeir Sigurðsson. Close-miked strings, piano, electronics and charged silence.

Since then the label has nurtured works by Daníel Bjarnason, Sam Amidon, Lyra Pramuk, Nadia Sirota, Manchester Collective, aYia, Emily Hall, Liam Byrne, 404.zero, James McVinnie, Sam Slater, Gabriella Smith, Isabelle Lewis and Daniel Pioro among others [see website for more].

Read more on Bedroom Community's website. Listen to Nico Muhly's Speaks Volumes on BandCamp.

Wagner's Die Walküre to receive its Icelandic premiere in Icelandic Opera's first Wagner opera for 20 years

Julia Burbach's production of Wagner's Die Walküre in Bordeaux - Evgeny Nikitin (Wotan) - Opéra National de Bordeaux (Photo Eric Bouloumie)

Julia Burbach first directed Wagner's Die Walküre at the Opéra National de Bordeaux in 2019 in a co-production with Icelandic Opera. The production's Icelandic debut in 2020 had to be postponed and will finally be presented at Harpa in Reykjavik in February 2022. In the meantime, of course, Burbach has directed a new production Wagner's Die Walküre in Jonathan Dove and Graham Vick's reduced version at the Grimeborn Festival [see my review, and see also my interview with Julia]

February's performances at Harpa will be the Icelandic premiere of Die Walküre and Icelandic Opera's first Wagner opera since Der fliegende Holländer in 2002. One significant difference between Icelandic Opera's performances and the production in Bordeaux is that, owing to the relatively small size of the pit in Harpa, the players of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra will be seated on the stage. 

Julia Burbach directs Wagner's Die Walküre with Tal Rosner as video designer and co-director. The Iceland Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Eva Ollikainen, the orchestra’s recently appointed chief conductor and artistic director. Soprano Iréne Theorin sings Brünnhilde and having previously sung Alberich internationally, Icelandic baritone Ólafur Kjartan Sigurðarson makes his role debut as Wotan. British tenor Christopher Ventris, sings Siegmund with British soprano Claire Rutter as Sieglinde [in 2017 we caught Claire as Sieglinde at Grange Park Opera, see my review, and in the title role of Tosca with Icelandic Opera, see my review]. German mezzo-soprano Christa Mayer makes her Icelandic Opera debut as Fricka and Icelandic bass Kristinn Sigmundsson sings Hunding. The Valkyries are performed by eight singers from Iceland. 

Full details from Icelandic Opera's website.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 70th birthday with its first UK tour

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra photographed at Harpa in Reykjavik

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra (Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands) is celebrating its 70th year and as part of the celebrations is giving its first UK tour, with music director Yan Pascal Tortelier, starting at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham (8 February 2020) and then Theatre Royal, Norwich (9 February), Cadogan Hall, London (10 February), Symphony Hall, Birmingham (11 February), St David’s Hall, Cardiff (13 February), The Anvil, Basingstoke (14 February), Leeds Town Hall (15 February) and the Usher Hall, Edinburgh (16 February).

The programme includes Aeriality by the Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, who is the orchestra's composer in residence. Aeriality was written for the orchestra and premiered by them in 2011. Thorvaldsdóttir will be giving pre-concert talks about the work in Nottingham, Norwich, Birmingham, Cardiff and Basingstoke, The rest of the orchestra's programme for the tour includes Ravel's Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Yeol Eum Sum, and Bizet's incidental music for L'Arlesienne, plus either Sibelius' Symphony No. 1 or music from Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra is based at Harpa, the new concert hall in Reykjavik, Iceland which was completed in 2011. The orchestra was founded in 1950, as a result of a desire for a fully professional orchestra in Iceland. At first the government funding for the ensemble was somewhat experimental and the group's first concert, in May 1950, is taken as the date of its founding. The orchestra made its UK debut five years ago at the BBC Proms, but this is the first time it has toured the UK.

Full details from the Iceland Symphony Orchestra's website.