Iceland review - 2016, Qupperneq 12

10 ICELAND REVIEW
SECRET SOLSTICE
Not so much of a secret any more, Secret Solstice has gone from cute summer
party in a park to international music extravaganza in just a couple of years. It’s
not hard to see the appeal of an outdoor music festival in the 24-hour daylight of
the summer solstice, pretty much right in the middle of Reykjavík. That’s quite
conspicuous. In fact, the secret’s so well-and-truly out of the bag that this year’s
acts include Of Monsters And Men, Deftones, St Germain, Jamie Jones, Die
Antwoord, and one of the biggest bands of all time: Radiohead.
Laugardalur, Reykjavík, June 17-19, secretsolstice.is
REYKJAVÍK ARTS FESTIVAL
Now in its 30th year, the venerable Reykjavík Arts Festival is a celebration of life
through the lens of the whole creative rainbow. Nevertheless, the festival covers
various themes and emphasizes different arts. Following the highly-significant
100th anniversary of Icelandic women’s suffrage in 2015, organizers decided to
emphasize female artists and women as the subject of art, both this year and
last. In 2016, dance will play a key role in the festival, which takes place all
over Reykjavík, and one of many highlights will be a performance by the San
Francisco Ballet, directed by Helgi Tómasson.
Venues around Reykjavík, May 21-June 05, artfest.is
REYKJAVÍK MIDSUMMER MUSIC
Taking full advantage of Harpa’s world-class facilities, the Midsummer Music
festival welcomes some of the world’s top classical names to enchant guests
at this most magical time of year. This summer, for the festival’s fifth outing,
organizers are thrilled to welcome one of the planet’s best violinists—Viktoria
Mullova—as well as two of its top pianists—Ursula Oppens and Jerome
Lowenthal. The festival will celebrate Iceland’s National Day (June 17) with a
massive concert featuring local and international music stars, including opera
singer Kristinn Sigmundsson.
Harpa and Mengi, Reykjavík, June 16-19,
reykjavikmidsummermusic.com
FESTIVALS
As the sun flat-out refuses to go to bed at this time of year, Reykjavík responds with
joyous celebrations of art and orchestral music—as well as a massive party in a park.
SUMMER CELEBRATIONS
BY ALËX ELLIOTT.