Opening of the festival

Hafnartorg Gallery

17:00

La Stravaganza - Rachel Podger and Arte dei Suonatori

Norðurljós

19:30

Storytime with Amaconsort

Norðurljós

22:00

Wednesday, March 27

Open masterclass with Rachel Podger

Norðurljós

10:00

Lunchtime concert

Harpa, foyer

13:00

Dolcissimi diletti - chamber group Consortico

Norðurljós

19:30

Thursday, March 28

Lunchtime concert

Harpa, foyer

13:00

Faustina - Barokkbandið Brák and Herdís Anna Jónasdóttir

Norðurljós

19:30

26. March, 19:30, NorðurljósLa Stravaganza
Rachel Podger and Arte dei Suonatori

For the opening concert of Reykjavik Early Music Concert Polish baroque orchestra Arte dei Suonatori celebrates 30 years of its activity on the international early music scene. One of the most important moments in the beginning of its career was the release of the album recorded together with British violinist Rachel Podger with Vivaldi’s concerts “La Stravaganza”. With that internationally acclaimed and multi-awarded CD, Europe could learn more about Arte dei Suonatori – today one of the leading European orchestras. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of that unique artistic meeting Rachel Podger and Arte dei Suonatori reunited to perform again together! The concert will be the first visit of these Artists in Iceland and has also the special context for big Polish society in Iceland.

26. March, 22:00, NorðurljósStorytime with Amaconsort

We take shore in England at the beginning of the seventeenth century. The so called Masque, a mix of a musical and a masquerade ball, was the principal entertainment at the royal court but this form is uncommon in performance programmes today. Amaconsort will perform their own arrangements of the Masque, which are bound together in short stories, told through music. In between the Masques, powerful dances will be played, which were very popular in England and Holland during previous centuries.

Amaconsort members include Lea Sobbe, Martin Jantzen, Lena Rademann og Halldór Bjarki Arnarson. The group received First prize at the International Van Wassanaer competition in Utrecht 2021 and has since performed extensively throughout Europe in recent years. Improvisation and innovation make up a large part of Amaconsort's programmes, so each performance is a unique experience for the audience. Although only fourstrong, they use a large number of interesting instruments, both large and small, and thus manage to spin a most varied and interesting musical web throughout their performances.

27. March, 19:30, NorðurljósDolcissimi dilettiChamper group Consortico

The program Dolcissimi diletti offers a glimpse into the diverse musical landscapes of seventeenth-century Europe, from the Italian stile moderno via flamboyant stylus phantasticus instrumental works to French airs de cour.

The program offers both well-known repertoire from established masters like Claudio Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi and Michel Lambert to rarely performed gems like the instrumental sonatas for violin and viola from the Rost Codex.

The program will be performed on period instruments and with a historically informed approach by Barokkhópurinn Consortico, an ensemble formed by Icelandic and international musicians specialized in historical performance.

28. March, 19:30, NorðurljósFaustinaBarokkbandið Brák and Herdís Anna

For the final concert of the Reykjavík Early Music Festival, Barokkbandið Brák invites its listeners to a feast of music by a generation of Europe’s most celebrated baroque composers. The thread connecting all these composers is 18th-century vocal superstar Faustina Bordoni:

before she married J. S. Bach’s friend Johann Adolph Hasse, she developed her skills singing operas by Leonardo Leo, until her move to London saw her become a central figure in the musical scene, which rivals Handel and Porpora were both vying to dominate.

Faustina is embodied in this concert by Icelandic soprano Herdís Anna Jónasdóttir in cantatas by Handel and Porpora, framed by virtuosic instrumental works including Bach’s D minor violin concerto, performed by Brák’s artistic director Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir, and Leonardo Leo’s cello concerto in D major, performed by French baroque cellist Vladimir Waltham.