The nearest bus stop is Harpa. The bus stop Lækjartorg is also nearby.

A fascinating new composition by Anna Thorvaldsdottir will flow through Harpa during the opening festivities of the Reykjavík Arts Festival. The building itself plays an integral part in METAXIS, an installation for a scattered orchestra, electric sound and space. Groups of musicians from the Iceland Symphony Orchestra will appear around the building as listeners are granted a unique opportunity to walk around the space and experience shifting perceptions of the music. This creates a personal relationship between each and every guest and this latest work by one of the leading composers of our times. The soundscape of METAXIS is a multi-layered and surprising creation, much like the building it encompasses.

Anna Thorvaldsdottir is a highly respected composer. Her accolades include the prestigious Nordic Council Music Prize. Her works have been performed by many of the world’s leading orchestras and ensembles.

The performance of METAXIS lasts around half an hour. It is led by Eva Ollikainen, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor. This premiere of METAXIS is a collaboration between the Reykjavík Arts Festival, Harpa and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Anna Þorvaldsdóttir & Iceland Symphony Orchestra with conductor Eva Ollikainen

large

Very good wheelchair access. Hearing loops available at ticket desk.

Bus stop Harpa is closest but the bus stop Lækjartorg is also close by.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra, choirs and soloists perform Mahler’s magnificent Symphony no. 3 in Harpa. Mahler’s 3rd is a world unto itself – simultaneously an ode to nature and a profound examination of the human condition. The composer wrote the symphony on the banks of Attersee in Austria where images of weather, flora and fauna intertwined with the music. “It is as though the river of creation has swept me up!” the composer wrote in a letter. The listener is pulled along by the same creative current on an enchanting journey. The epic first movement opens with the burst of summer, and each of the subsequent ones is dedicated to living organisms: flowers in a meadow, animals in a forest, and man himself – while the final two movements kneel to higher powers: angels and love. The last movement is a heartfelt song of gratitude to the entire world.

The symphony is scored for an oversized symphony orchestra, two choirs and a soprano. The soloist in Harpa is Germany’s Christina Bock, lauded for her expressive and dynamic performances. Vox feminae, Aurora Chamber Choir and Reykjavik Girls Choir will perform under the direction of Stefan Sand Groves, Sigríður Soffía Hafliðadóttir and Margrét Pálmadóttir. The orchestra will be led by Eva Ollikainen, chief conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra..

Christina Bock & Iceland Symphony Orchestra

What are the boundaries and delimitations of “The North”? Where do we find the borders of theArctic? The group exhibitionIs this North?delves into these questions, presenting work by artistsfrom the far-reachingNorth. Exhibiting artists include Gunnar Jónsson, Anders Sunna, Máret ÁnneSara, Inuuteq Storch, Nicholas Galanin, Dunya Zakharova, Marja Helander, and Maureen Gruben.Is this North? opens at Akureyri Art Museum in the north of Iceland on June 7th, 2024.

What characterizes those that call the Arctic home? Is there a universality of experience to be found within our Nordic countries amidst a diversity of cultural difference? And as artists from these regions, is their work always inherently influenced by this connection to a Nordic home?

The countries presented in this exhibition include the Sami regions of Finland, Norway, Sweden,Iceland, Greenland, Siberia, Alaska, and Canada. The exhibition focuses on the experience of living inthe far Arctic, whatcommunal and connective aspects can be found within artists who call the Arctictheir home. Expanding the reach from Alaska to Siberia and Scandinavia in between, these vastlydifferent cultures and communities share this one common thread, the Arctic, the North

Programme

METAXIS

Mahler 3

Is this North?