Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.07.2019, Page 32

Music
Mr. Silla has unveiled the
first single from their
forthcoming second solo
album ‘Hands On Hands’ this month via
a premiere on grapevine.is. “Naruto
(say you’ll run away)” is a blissful, sum-
mery house-pop track with a relaxed,
late-night-after-party feel. The video
was shot in Gondomar, Portugal.
Directed by Svanhvít Júlíusdót-
tir—who also performs as a dancer
alongside Flora Di Martino and Sara Iris
Douet—it has a quietly euphoric vibe
that echoes the carefree sentiment
of the track’s central lyric. The track
promises great things for ‘Hands On
Hands,’ which is due for a July release
via Making Records.

The Hljómahöll music venue at
Keflavík’s Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll, has
announced a concert by Welsh indie
star Cate Le Bon on Monday Septem-
ber 9th. Cate’s latest album, ‘Reward,’
has been making waves internation-
ally and gaining plenty of critical
acclaim, sweeping the board of
respected music websites with
gushing reviews. Her back catalogue
is also well worth a listen: check out
her biggest track to date, the
virulently catchy “Are You With Me
Now?” for a primer of what to expect.
Tickets for the concert are on sale
now at tix.is.
Boo! Another treasured Reykjavík
music venue has bitten the dust.
After changing hands several times in
recent years, Húrra—a space with a
storied history, having previously been
everything from legendary party bar
Bakkus to music venue Harlem to a
weird, austere and short-lived German-
themed pub that was gone so quickly
nobody really remembers it—has
blinked out of existence. Rumour has it
that it’ll be renovated as a sports bar.
This is part of a continuing, worrying
trend in the city. Be sure to support
independent venues like MENGI, R6013
and IÐNÓ. JR
MUSIC
NEWS
Come Into
The Chamber
Reykholt's civilised summer music festival
Words: Felix Robertson Photo: Valgerður G. Halldórsdóttir
Festival
The Reykholt Chamber Music
Festival runs from July 26th-
28th. Further information: www.
reykholtshatid.is
Since its founding in 1997, the
Reykholt Chamber Music Festival
has become one of Iceland’s most
treasured classical music events,
and, in 2018, its reputation was
cemented with a nod from the Ice-
landic Music Awards. This year,
the festival runs from July 26th
to 28th, and the programme is as
diverse and intriguing as ever.
A special place
Now in its 22nd year, the Reykholt
Chamber Music Festival is one of
the oldest classical music festivals
in Iceland, all the more impressive
considering its relatively remote
location—the tiny village of Reyk-
holt, situated an hour and a half
drive outside the cultural hub of
Reykjavík. But, as Artistic Direc-
tor Sigurgeir Agnarsson explains,
Reykholt is a better location than
one might expect.
“In my experience, when you
play or go to a concert the at-
mosphere tends to be different
in the countryside than in down-
town Reykjavík. It’s not better or
worse, just different—and people
like that.” But the small village
of Reykholt itself
has its own value.
“It’s a really beau-
tiful setting, for a
start,” says Sigur-
geir. “And it has a
very strong histor-
ical background.
Icelandic Saga poet
Snorri Sturluson
used to live here. So it’s a bit like
a magnet—it’s a special place for a
lot of Icelanders.”
Quality, not quantity
One of the most striking aspects
of the festival is its brevity—it
runs only two days. “In general,
we strive for quality, not quantity,”
says Sigurgeir. “We only have four
concerts, but everything is done to
a really high standard.”
One of the more intriguing
pieces on the programme, enti-
tled King Harald’s Saga, testifies
to this sentiment perfectly—it is
said to be the shortest opera in the
world, clocking in at just over ten
minutes. “It’s actually based on
Snorri’s writing,” explains Sigur-
geir. “Even though it’s written by
an English composer (Judith Weir).
And since Snorri lived in Reykholt,
you could say the piece is coming
home.”
Another connection to Iceland
comes in the form of the Vox Fem-
inae choir. “The choir is bringing
a great selection of Icelandic folk
music,” Sigurgeir explains. “Some
of the songs are quite well known
folk songs, others are less known.
And some of the best know are ac-
tually in new arrangements. Many
will be songs that people aren’t
used to hearing performed by a fe-
male choir.”
A dialogue
While in some years the festival
has had a theme, often there’s no
overarching thread connecting the
pieces. As such, I ask Sigurgeir how
he plans for the
future of the festi-
val. “I could spend
a l l day w riting
out pieces I would
like to perform
in the future,” he
says. “But it often
works out quite
nicely to just talk
to the players. Even though I’m the
boss—sort of!—I talk to them and
say: ‘Hey, what should we play?’ It’s
a back and forth. It’s not like I pres-
ent a master plan for the festival.
It’s more of a dialogue.”
Vox Feminae will perform unusual material for a female choir
Beloved is over. Boo
Cate Le Bon is coming to town
Mr Silla
“Now in its 22nd
year, it's one of
the oldest clas-
sical music festi-
vals in Iceland.”
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