Event info

Nordic music is prominent on this Iceland Symphony Orchestra programme, alongside a rarely heard concerto by the Czech composer Martinu.

The Danish composer Carl Nielsen wrote his delightful Helios-overture in 1903 while in Greece, inspired by ancient culture and art. His wife, Anne-Marie, was a sculptor, and when she was invited to visit Greece, her husband joined her and acquired a piano so that he could compose. Tapiola is one of Jean Sibelius’s many works inspired by Finnish folk poems and mythology, in this case, the forest spirit Tapio. This was Sibelius’s last major work; although he lived for 30 more years, he decided shortly afterwards to stop writing music.

Lapland-born Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen has been highly praised for her music and was nominated for the Nordic Council Music Prize in 2018. Her most recent work, a co-commission by the Iceland Symphony and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, is inspired by Arctic ice and the slow rhythm of the changing seasons.

The Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu wrote his oboe concerto in 1955; it is a charming and delightful work with echoes of Stravinsky. The soloist is German oboist Julia Hantschel, who has been the Iceland Symphony’s leading oboist since 2018.  

Listen to the concert live on Channel 1 (Rás 1) of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV).

Ticket sales and concertgoer's guide
In accordance to local health regulations and to ensure the safety of our patrons, the Eldborg concert hall in Harpa has been divided into several areas, each with a maximum capacity of 50 guests. To ensure space between guests, one empty seat will be reserved between each ticket order. We also offer seats that ensure a distance of 2 meters on all sides, but these tickets must be booked through the Harpa ticket office, tel. 528-5050. Read our concertgoer's guide here.

Attention: The program has been changed since it was originally published under the title Martinu and Sibelius.

PROGRAM
Carl Nielsen: Helios Overture
Bohuslav Martinu: Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Outi Tarkiainen: Songs of the Ice
Jean Sibelius: Tapiola

CONDUCTOR
Eva Ollikainen

SOLOIST
Stuart Skelton
Julia Hantschel