Iceland Symphony Orchestra

PROGRAM

Ingibjörg Ýr Skarphéðinsdóttir Gaddenboot (World Premiere)

Jón Leifs Darraðarljóð

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto no 5

Richard Strauss Ein Heldenleben
CONDUCTOR

Eva Ollikainen
SOLOIST

Víkingur Ólafsson

CHOIRS

Kór Hallgrimskirkju

Kór Langholtskirkju

In March 2025, it will be 75 years since the Iceland Symphony Orchestra held its first concert. To mark this milestone, a celebratory concert will take place, featuring monumental works from music history under the baton of Eva Ollikainen, the orchestra's chief conductor.

Víkingur Ólafsson is one of the world's most sought-after classical musicians today. This season, he will perform with orchestras such as the Berlin, London, and New York Philharmonics and premiere John Adams's new piano concerto with the San Francisco Symphony. He has received numerous international awards for his performances, and his recordings under the Deutsche Grammophon label have been streamed over 1 billion times. Víkingur will perform Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto, The Emperor Concerto, at this concert, a grand masterpiece where powerful drama intertwines with lyrical beauty in a mesmerizing interplay between soloist and orchestra.

Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life) is one of the most famous tone poems by Richard Strauss. Composed at the height of Strauss's fame, when he was a sought-after conductor and celebrated composer, the work portrays the composer himself as the hero — a kind of superman who confronts the adversities of the world.

The concert opens with a new festive overture by Ingibjörg Ýr Skarphéðinsdóttir, commissioned especially for the occasion. However, it is not the only premiere, as Jón Leifs's Darraðarljóð will also be performed for the first time. Written for choir and orchestra, the text of this work is drawn from Brennu-Njáls Saga, specifically the haunting witches' chant witnessed by Dörruður in chapter 157. The manuscript bears the note "according to a 50-year plan," indicating that Jón began contemplating this project as a teenager.

Piano Concerto No. 2 by Brahms was originally on the program, and the concert was titled Viking plays Brahms. Due to changes in the program, the concert is now called Viking plays Beethoven – 75th Anniversary Concert