Interview in The Herald

Hafliði was recently interviewed by The Herald regarding his recent double bass concerto:

When cellist and composer Haflidi Hallgrimsson went out for a meal a few years ago with his great friend of many years, Adrian Bornet, second double bass in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Icelander, resident in Scotland for many years, thought he was just going out for dinner. He had no idea that there was an unexpected item on the menu that night in Newington.

Click here to read the full interview.

TWO WORLD PREMIERS IN 2009

“NARRATIVES FROM THE DEEP NORTH” op.41
For a Symphony Orchestra

On the 13th of February this year the Tampere Filharmonia in Finland gave the World Premier of “NARRATIVES FROM THE DEEP NORTH” op.41, conducted by John Storgards and performed to a full house of a very appreciative audience.
This large-scale composition is a co-commission from the Tampere and the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, who will give the Icelandic premier in March 2010 in a concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the orchestra. It will be conducted by Rumon Gamba.

“SONNAMBULO” op.42
Concerto for Double Bass and Chamber Orchestra

Reviews

Review in The Scotsman of the Edinburgh performance

Review in The Herald of the Glasgow performance

“Sonnambulo” (Sleepwalker) op.42 for Double Bass and Chamber Orchestra, will be premiered by Nicholas Bayley and the Scottish Chamber orchestra conducted by Baldur Brönnimann, at the City Halls Glasgow on the 8th of May this year, and at the Queen’s Hall Edinburgh the following night.
The concerto is a co-commission from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra,the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the Scottish Bass Trust and is dedicated to Nicholas Bayley and Adrian Bornet who initiated its creation.

Performances of Chamber Music

Recent years have seen an ever-increasing interest in Hallgrímsson’s music, and there have been a number of important performances of his chamber music, as well as a number of his concertos and orchestral works all over Europe and America.

On the 2nd of May 2009 a concert entitled “Sveinbjörnsson and Hallgrímsson in Edinburgh” will be given by a trio of Icelandic musicians in the Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh, featuring chamber music by these two composers, who have both been greatly involved in the musical life of that city.

Several concerts taking place in Scandinavia and Europe this summer,which will include performances of chamber music by Hallgrímsson.

Future commissions

Future commissions include several large and small-scale compositions, such as a Duo for viola and Narrator,base on the short story
“The Connection” by the absurdist writer Daniil Kharms. THE CONNECTION op.43 is a commission from the Dark Music Day’s Festival of new Icelandic Music specially for the celebrated violist Garth Knox. The composer himself will be the narrator at the premier performance in Reykjavík in February 2010.
As a composer in residence of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra Hallgrímsson will provide three large-scale compositions during his three year tenure.The first work to be premiered will be “Narratives from the Deep North” op.41 The second work will be a violin concerto entiled CONCERTO DA REQUIEM op.44 which will be specially written for the brilliant young violinist Jennifer Pike who will give the world premier in Iceland with ISO during the 2010-2011 season.
The final composition to be written for the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra will be a CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA op.45, to be premiered by the orchestra during the 2011-2012 concert season.