Event info

Everybody in Iceland knows the song "Ég er kominn heim" at least since the magnificent debut of the national team of Iceland on the Euro Champs. Also many of the football or music fans knows that the song is originally Hungarian and dates back to the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy which contributed to the world´s music culture with such great people and phenomenon as Johann Strauss, Imre Kálmán, Franz Lehár, Carl Billich (who became a real Icelander thereafter), the operetta, Singspiel, Wiener Walzer, the Secession, Gustav Klimt, the grounds of modern music, Stefan Zweig and many others.

With this concert organized by the consulates of Hungary and Austria we would like to pay tribute to these geniuses and also to build a new bridge and hopefully a new tradition to the vibrating connection between Iceland, Icelanders, this era of the Monarchy and our countries.

Therefore the program consist of the works of Imre Kálmán (who actually wrote "Ég er kominn heim") and his fellow Austrian and Hungarian composers of the end of the 19th century (Golden age of operetta) and the first half of the 20th century (Silver age of operetta).

The performers were selected from the best Icelandic and Hungarian singers:

Valgerður Guðnadóttir -soprano

Bernadett Hegyi -colorature soprano

Kristbjörg Ásta Viðarsdóttir -mezzosoprano

Jóhann Sigurðarson -baritone

Jóhannes Freyr Baldursson -tenor

Skátakórinn

The concert will be accompanied by Iceland´s brand new chamber symphony orchestra: Reykjavík Pops Orchestra established and conducted by Reykjavík-based Hungarian composer and conductor Márton Wirth.