Icelandic Symphony Orchestra

Making their Manchester debut as part of The Bridgewater Hall’s International Concert Series, the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra brought a mesmerising performance to the stage. Conducted by Eva Ollikainen, the orchestra combined the spectacular Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Metacosmos with the works of Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky.

The evening started with Metacosmos. Composed by Anna Thorvaldsdottir, the piece is a symphonic poem meant to take you on a journey through a black hole and out the other side. Without a doubt this was one of the most beautiful, powerful, and at times harrowing, pieces of music we have ever seen performed. Lasting roughly 13 minutes, the vacuum of space seemed to be laid bare as a magnificent living tapestry. Sound may not travel in the vacuum of space, but it certainly travelled throughout The Bridgewater Hall and left us with goosebumps.

Prior to the orchestral performance, we were fortunate enough to attend the pre-concert talk with Anna Thorvalsdottir. During the talk / question and answer session she spoke about her inspiration for this and her other compositions. She revealed that the worlds around her, nature and her Icelandic upbringing were her main inspirations. Having visited Iceland multiple times, we can definitely hear the Icelandic scenic influences in her work. She seems to have perfectly encapsulated the vastness of the countryside and the changing weather conditions within her various compositions.

We will certainly be on the lookout for more performances of Thorvaldsdottir’s work as this one was truly spectacular.

But the night didn’t end there!

The second performance of the evening saw Sir Stephen Hough take his seat at the piano to join the orchestra in a performance of Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto.

Sir Stephen Hough is world renowned for his mastery of Rachmaninov’s piano concertos so we knew we were about to see something sensational, and we were not disappointed. The apparent ease with which Sir Hough performed was captivating. Despite a packed auditorium, he appeared to be playing for each individual in a way that can only be described as magical.

Finally, the evening ended with a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 5th Symphony. The entire second act was dedicated to the 5th Symphony, with The Icelandic Symphony Orchestra perfectly delivering Tchaikovsky’s tempo changes throughout.

The entire evening was an absolute joy from beginning to end. Our highlight was Metacosmos, but each of the three performances brought something different and special. Eva Ollikainen and The Iceland Symphony Orchestra were quite simply fabulous.

Originally posted: April 28, 2023