Event info

100 Years of Sovereignty
Icelandic-Czech Music Festival

100 Years of Sovereignty is the title of the Icelandic-Czech Music Festival taking place on October 28th to celebrate the 100th anniversary of sovereignty of the two countries. The festival is a collaboration between Camerarctica, Caput and the Hnúkaþeyr Wind Octet, who give separate concerts in the Northern Lights Hall of Harpa at 1, 3 and 5pm, performing Icelandic and Czech music from the classical period to premieres of brand new music. Between concerts the audience can enjoy folk music from the two countries in Harpa’s Foyer lead by the brilliant Czech folk music group Jaro. The aim of the festival is to compare the music Icelanders have inherited to the Czech music built on an ancient foundation.The festival has been selected for the program of the 100th anniversary of the Icelandic sovereignty: www.fullveldi1918.is and is funded by the Sovereignty Fund.

Festival Pass: 5.500 kr.
Single Concert: 3.500 kr.

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Camerartica at 13pm

Camerarctica ensemble and friends open the Icelandic-Czech Music Festival with a chamber concert featuring works by Czech masters and Icelandic folksongs in a new fashion.

Six Icelandic Folksongs arranged by Thorkell Sigurbjörnsson for clarinet, cello and piano, are diverse and interesting. The folksongs are either of a spiritual or secular nature, the style is variable and the possibilities of each instrument are used to full extent.

The Czech composer Franz Krommer is best known for his contribution to wind music, especially for the clarinet. Quintet for clarinet and strings opus 95 in Bb-Major by Krommer was released in 1820. Although the composer´s style is distinct, flourishing melodies and enthusiasm, the clarinet is well integrated with the string instruments.

Musique de Chambre Nº 1 is one of Bohuslav Martinu´s last works, composed five months before his death in 1959. This work is in many ways unique and unusual as Martinu wrote for instruments that had probably never been combined before: Piano, harp, clarinet, violin, viola and cello. This unique composition has strong French and Czech influences, combining folk songs, ancient polyphony and jazz into a fascinating tapestry typical of Martinu.

Camerarctica ensemble was founded in 1992. Camerarctica has organized many music festivals, such as festivals in memory of Hindemith, Fauré, Schubert and Brahms, and participated in Dark Music Days, Reykjavik Arts Festival and Nordic Music Days. Camerarctica has given concerts organized by the Chamber Music Club every year since 1997 and performed, among other works, string quartets by Shostakovich, Bartók and Zelenka trio sonatas. Camerarctica has annually held very popular concerts at the Advent, titled “Mozart with Candlelight”, and recorded two CDs featuring Mozart’s works.

Camerarctica and friends:
Ármann Helgason, clarinet
Hildigunnur Halldórsdóttir, violin
Guðrún Þórarinsdóttir, viola
Svava Bernharðsdóttir, viola
Sigurður Halldórsson, cello
Elísabet Waage, harp
Peter Máté, piano

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Caput ensemble at 15pm

At the festival concert at 3pm the Caput ensemble will give premiere to two new works; Rounds by Haukur Tómasson and Echotopoeia by Pétur Eggertsson, as well as performing a composition by the Czech composer Ondrej Adamek, Ca tour ça bloque. All the pieces are written for a rather large sinfonietta.

Haukur Tómasson has composed a number of works for the Caput ensemble and every time a new work by him is awaited with great excitement. Haukur’s music has received a world record, for instance the Piano Concerto for Víkingur Heiðar in 2016 and the Opera Guðrún’s Fourth Song performed by Caput, which won the Nordic Council’s Music Prize 2004.

Pétur Eggertsson is writing his first work for Caput. His composition goes beyond art when he investigates how other materials than sounds, such as pictures, movement and fragrance, can be used in music. Art, theater and other worlds blend with the music and add a new dimension beyond sound and harmony.

The Czech composer Ondrej Adamek’s star shines brightly at present. His music has been played by all major sinfoniettas in Europe, often conducted by himself. Adamek has worked closely with the Icelandic poet Sjón and their opera “Seven Stones” received the European FEDORA-Generali Prize as the best new opera in 2018.

The Caput ensemble has played an important role in Iceland’s music life for the last 30 years. Caput was founded in 1987-88 for the purpose of performing new or recent music, Icelandic as well as foreign. During long and successful existance, Caput has performed at many of the world’s major music festivals, toured Europe, America and Asia and has recorded several CDs, www.caput.is.

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Hnúkaþeyr Wind Octet at 17pm

At the festival´s final concert at 5pm the Hnúkaþeyr Wind Octet will perform the grand Serenade for Winds by the Czech composer Antonín Dvorák which he composed following a visit to Vienna. He was so inspired by the Vienna Philharmonic´s performance of Mozart´s Serenade in B flat Major for wind instruments that he decided to compose his own serenade and conducted its premiere on November 17th 1878. While preserving classical temperance, the serenade is romantic in style and wholly Czech in character with songful lines and folkloristic dances.

The Czech, Josef Myslivecek, was a close friend of Leopold Mozart and his son Wolfgang Amadeus who admired Myslivecek and his music. Myslivecek who became a role model to the young Mozart, composed three serenades for wind octet. Serenade in E flat Major will be presented in the concert.

Icelandic works for wind octet are to some degree a rarity. The first Icelandic work was composed for Hnúkaþeyr and premiered in 2008. In this concert Hnúkaþeyr will play two ballads by a young Icelandic composer, Sigrún Kristbjörg Jónsdóttir. One ballad will be premiered at the concert, the other, Chorale, composed under Brazilian influence, was premiered by Hnúkaþeyr in December 2017.

Hnúkaþeyr was formed in 2003 and is by tradition an ensemble of pairs of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons. Since its foundation the ensemble has, besides the classical repertoire, performed the Icelandic works composed for wind octet and commissioned new works. The name Hnúkaþeyr refers to warm winds blowing from mountain tops.