Event info

The first opera of composer Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, directed by Þorleifur Örn Arnarson, will premiere at the thirtieth Reykjavík Arts Festival this spring.

The observer is invited to embark on a reflective journey through an ambivalent narrative in sound and space, drawing on the thematic of an evolutionary genesis in seven parts. Thorvaldsdottir's meditative sensual melodic lines interwoven with strained, fragile brokenness come together in a passion that is driven forward by yearning, a feeling of being overwhelmed, the craving for truth and a the flickering hope of restoring equilibrium. Director, Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson takes the metaphor of a relentlessly searching mankind quite literally. He lets the sensual-abstract imagery of the music and narrative guide the performers toward an organic flowing symbiosis of the senses.

UR_ is the result of the two year work devolopement which took place in Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Germany, under the direction of Far North, with the collaboration of Reykjavík Arts Festival, Theater Trier, Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, The Norwegian National Opera and The National Theatre of Greenland.

The staging of UR_ in Iceland is the collaboration between Reykjavík Arts Festival and the Icelandic Opera.

Music: Anna Þorvaldsóttir
Líbrettó: Anna Þorvaldsdóttir og Metter Karlsvik
Director: Þorleifur Örn Arnarson
Scenography and costumes Anna Rún Tryggvadóttir
Artistic director and dramturg: Arnbjörg María Daníelssen
Conducter: Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason
Performers: Joa Helgeson, Melis Jaatinen, Sofia Jernberg, Tinna Þorsteinsdóttir, Miké Phillip Fencker Thomsen, CAPUT tónlistarhópur
Show director: Sebastian Reckert
Technical director: Florian Semmet
Producer: Arnbjörg María Daníelssen (FAR NORTH)