Lögberg-Heimskringla - 03.10.2003, Page 8

page 8 • Lögberg-Heimskringla ♦ Friday, 3 October 2003
PHOTO BY GLADYS GISLASON
They are actually members
of a men’s choral group who re-
enact the saga story in music
and song. It was a stirring per-
formance, and placed a special
emphasis on the history of the
site, and its surroundings.
Now it was not far to
Þingvellir, where the first parlia-
ment was established in 930. No
visit to Iceland is complete
without a visit to this hallowed
site. To gaze across this geolog-
ical wonder, and visualize the
gatherings at Lögberg, the law
rock, and imagine the Law
Speaker reciting the law from
memory and delivering the ver-
dicts, brings home a sense of
history to which we are all con-
nected.
By now we were getting
hungry. Dinner would be at
Áslákur’s Sveitakrá in Mos-
fellsbær. This is a charming pub,
which honours the memory of
some local luminaries including
Halldór Laxness. As a matter of
fact you can see there a cane
once used by Iceland’s Nobel
Prize winner.
Pizza was on the menu at a
reasonable price, and when the
first round turned out to be
insufficient to quell all the
hunger pangs, more was called
for, and the balance sent home
with us for a mid-night snack.
Just one more gesture of Ice-
landic generosity. The choir
retumed in kind from its never
lacking repertoire.
We reached Rekjavík that
Saturday night, and enjoyed a
well deserved rest, for many of
us it was again the Kársnes
School, in the care of our bene-
factor, Þómnn Björnsdóttir.
Sunday moming, and our
faithful bus driver picked us up
and delivered us to that Reyk-
javík landmark, Hallgrímskirk-
ja. Here the choir would per-
Above Akureyri in Eyjafjörður
form, prior to and during the
worship service. This is a large,
cathedral-like structure, with
sharp acoustics and an enor-
mous German-built pipe organ.
This was the view which greet-
ed our New Iceland Youth
Choir, as they formed up to sing
for the congregation, a great
many of whom were there espe-
cially to hear and to meet its
members. Our young people
were in fine form, and we can
all be proud of their perform-
ance. They sang, Ég bið að
heilsa, Vor við hafið, Minni
íslands, and Máttur söngsins
prior to the service. Two songs
followed the sermon, namely,
Nú sefur jörðin sumargrœn and
Kvœðið umfuglana. During the
communion guest soloist,
Shelly Gislason, accompanied
by Hörður Áskelsson gave a
stirring performance of the
recitative “I know that my
Redeemer Liveth” from Han-
del’s Messiah. Altogether a
heartwarming experience at
Hallgrímskirkja, followed by
coffee and warm greetings of
many, many well wishers.
Sunday afternoon found
our choir lining up on a grassy
square inside the folk museum
at Árbær, at the outskirts of
Reykjavík. Chairs were set up,
and a crowd gathered to hear
the choir sing in the warm after-
noon sunshine. The sound car-
ried well in the fine weather,
and again the audience showed
its genuine appreciation. As in
every other place, connections
were made or re-inforced with
friends or family members
reaching out to relatives from
across the ocean on another
continent. It was good to see.
Monday of the August long
weekend is the traders’ holiday
in Iceland. Those who are left in
the city tum up in the park at
Laugardalsvöll to celebrate the
occasion. Our choir would draw
itself up in a couple of oppor-
tune locations, and become part
of the day’s events. By now
people were aware of them
through television broadcasts,
and by word of mouth. This was
another fine opportunity for
them to share their joy of music,
and make new acquaintances,
as well as to share in the pleas-
ures of the day.
In the evening, it was on to
the elderly care home, Gmnd.
There is a special Canadian
connection here, as Canadians
of Icelandic descent helped to
raise money to finance the
building of the facility back in
1930. The choir sang to a
packed hall of very appreciative
listeners.
The tour was now nearing
its inevitable end, but two more
events still remained. The fírst
was a ftne opportunity afforded
by Radio Iceland, through its
Music Historian, Bjarki Svein-
björnsson. A recording session
had been arranged at Langholt-
skirkja, and in spite of an
exhausting tour, the choir mem-
bers still found the energy to
record a number of the songs
performed during the past few
days, including several com-
posed and arranged by director,
Rosalind Vigfusson. Jón Ste-
fánsson, choir director at the
church, tumed up, and soon had
delightful odours emanating
from the kitchen, proving that
his talents reach beyond the
musical to the culinary, and in
no time he conjured up lunch
for the entire company!
Rounding out our Reyk-
javík experience was an invita-
tion to City Hall. Here the choir
was greeted by Mayor Þórólfur
Árnason, to which the choir
responded with a fine example
of their music, then it was lunch
courtesy of the City, and a tour
of that beautiful building.
Everyone was now free to
spend the rest of their time in
Iceland as they liked, and most
headed downtown to see the
city first hand, and perhaps buy
a few gifts to take home.
Wednesday was also a day
free of commitments, a time for
connecting with relatives, or
simply seeing the sights or even
just resting up for the trip home.
Thursday moming was given
over to some final packing of
bags, tidying up our living quar-
ters at Kársnes School and say-
ing some tearful good-byes. We
left Reykjavík with wami mem-
ories and many avowals of
retum.
As a reward for a job well
done, the choir was taken for a
soak in the famous healing
waters of the Blue Lagoon. This
was indeed a welcome balm for
tired bodies, and now it was
time to head for the airport at
Keflavík, and home. It was the
seventh of August, and we
would be home early on the
moming of the eighth.
It is difficult to capture the
essence, and the impact of a
tour such as this. One thing we
do know is that in addition to
being an unforgettable experi-
ence, it is an essential link in the
tie that binds us as a people of
common origin - a new genera-
tion of people of Icelandic
descent coming in personal con-
tact with their counteiparts in
that country. Judging by the
number of young people now
deteiTnined to go back, and to
stay for a while, it is safe to say
that the impact, as well as the
memories will be long lasting.
The New Iceland Youth
Choir thanks all their generous
benefactors, in Canada and in
Iceland, who supported their
trip both financially and in the
organization of events. Without
their support and encourage-
ment this trip would not have
been possible.
PHOTO BY GLADYS GISLASON
Aðalsteinn Aðalsteinsson presenting gifts to each choir
member at Egilsstaðir
PHOTO BY DAVID GISLASON
Snorralaug at Reykholt, with guide, Steinunn
Visit us on the web at http://www.logberg.com