Music – Page 6 – Gemma D. Alexander

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Iceland, Iceland Airwaves, Icelandic music, music festivals

Live from Reykjavik – Iceland Airwaves at Home

My first trip to Iceland was for the Iceland Airwaves Festival in 2012. It was a lifechanging experience for me for many reasons. It also seemed like a pretty kid-friendly festival, so I came home fully intending to come back another year with my family. And although I’ve made it back to Iceland many times, once with kids in tow, I’ve never managed to catch another Airwaves. During the pandemic lockdown, I realized that my oldest only has one more year of high school, which seems like a deadline for all sorts of family things. I swore to myself that the next time it’s safe to go to Airwaves, I’m taking the whole family no matter what else may be going on. A few days later I saw that Airwaves had gone online with a two-day virtual Live from Reykjavik mini-festival.

Sisters Before Misters in Latest Seattle Opera Recital

I never attended an opera recital before the pandemic. A full opera is so extra, I thought the music by itself would be boring in comparison. But I was wrong. Of course digital recitals are no substitute for live theatrical productions. But they do have an appeal all their own. To me, a major part of that appeal is getting to see more of the personality and taste of artists you only know from in-character performances. Before Seattle Opera’s latest recital, I didn’t actually know either of the singers at all. But their recital was a lot of feminist fun. (And if you think that’s an oxymoron, you’re probably reading the wrong blog.)

Off Venue

The first time I went to the Eistnaflug music festival in East Iceland, the main stage was was in the town’s only music venue, and the “off venue” was an abandoned fish factory on the waterfront powered by extension cords. The next time I made it to Eistnaflug, the festival had grown a lot, and the main stage had been moved to the high school gym – the only building in town big enough to hold all the ticket-holders. The old venue was now the second stage, and the old fish factory had been torn down.

But there was still an off-venue stage. It was this platform set up in a gravel parking lot. There was no schedule and I never found out who any of the bands were that played it. With a hill behind and the fjord in front, I never really heard what they sounded like either. But it perfectly captures the Icelandic “Yeah, obstacles. Whatever, just do it,” approach.

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Amorphis, Eistnaflug, Iceland, music festivals

Esa in Iceland

Amorphis is from Finland, but they are partly responsible for my obsession with Iceland. That’s because I got super into their music, which at the time drew on the Kalevala for lyrical content. Being me, I had to read the Kalevala. Once I read the Kalevala, the Eddas and the Icelandic sagas were an inevitable next step, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I dreamed of seeing them play in Iceland. Despite the geographic proximity of Finland and Iceland, Amorphis had never, in their 20+ year history, played that country. Until Eistnaflug 2016. Well, I flew to LA to see them once. This one was a no-brainer. I wanted to go to Eistnaflug anyway.

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Cavalleria rusticana, Pietro Mascagni, recital, Seattle Opera

Cavalleria Rusticana Highlights

After missing most of Seattle Opera’s online programming this summer, I bought season tickets to make sure I don’t miss out this fall. Even though the season only runs through the end of the year, it contains more opera than a regular full season. Only it’s all online. The first “performance” was a highlights recital of Cavalleria rusticana. Based on the plot summary, I had my doubts about Cavalleria rusticana, but I know that beautiful music and the pageantry of live performances matter more than plot in opera. But how would it hold up without the spectacle of live performance?

Category Archive Music

Live from Reykjavik – Iceland Airwaves at Home

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Sisters Before Misters in Latest Seattle Opera Recital