Traditional music and dance
In addition to kveða and syngja, two major styles of vocal music and sung poetry, the Icelandic musical tradition is particularly marked by rímur. These epic sung poems - usually a cappella - with alliterative rhythms are considered to be one of the pillars of Icelandic poetry. With its roots in the Scaldic (7th or 8th century) and Eddic (13th century) poetic forms, the rímur is characterized by its complex metaphors and narrative style, inspired by elements of Icelandic literature and folklore. While Skáld-Helga, Skíðaríma, Bjarkarímur and Lokrur - all from the 15th century - are some of the most famous old rímur, there are many famous ones written between the 18th and early 20th centuries, including by poets such as Sigurður Breiðfjörð (1798-1846), a specialist in the genre. Nowadays, it is common for contemporary musicians to use rímur in their works. This is notably the case of Steindór Andersen, whose collaboration with Sigur Rós on an EP aptly titled... Rímur (in 2001) is particularly memorable. Let's also mention the avant-garde Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson who, in some of his musical experiments, summoned the rímur. Also, the rímur continues to inhabit the Icelandic language today, and sometimes jokes are told in its form
The Icelandic musical tradition also includes some great songs. A good example is Sprengisandi, an eternal classic written by Grímur Thomsen (1820-1896) and known to all Icelanders since their early childhood. Particularly popular with horsemen, it tells the story of the farmers who gather the sheep in the high mountain pastures of the country, with the fear of darkness and outlaws. As for the dances, it is impossible not to mention the vikivaki, undoubtedly one of the most important in the country. Performed in a circle, it sees participants holding hands or shoulders and taking two steps to the left and one to the right. The term " vikivaki " can also be used to describe the songs sung during the dance as well as the event at which it is performed.
There are few folk instruments in Iceland other than the langspil, a kind of zither with one melody string and two drone strings, and the fiðla, a cousin of the langspil but shaped like a long box. Because of Iceland's isolation, foreign influences were minimal until the 15th century. This is what made it possible to preserve for so long some specificities like the hákveða, a very particular rhythmic accent on certain words of a song - often the last one of each sentence or verse. This isolation was broken during the 15th century, when European dances such as the polka, waltz, reel and schottische began to be introduced via Denmark, causing a slow decline in the indigenous dancing and singing traditions. In order to prevent their disappearance, a great movement of collection and inventory was carried out between the two world wars, notably by Bjarni Þorsteinsson (1861-1938), a composer, who became interested in Icelandic folk music at the end of the 19th century
In Siglufjörður, a folk music centre bears his name, located in the house where he lived between 1888 and 1898. The centre's aim is to showcase local folk music. It features videos of Icelanders singing epic poems, five-songs and nursery rhymes or playing traditional instruments. In Reykjavik, the Nordic House, an institution created to strengthen cultural ties between the Scandinavian countries through exhibitions, concerts, performances and lectures, occasionally presents traditional Icelandic music or groups that offer a new interpretation
Classical music
The history of Icelandic classical music is like the country itself: small but full of treasures. Starting with Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson (1847-1927), the great romantic composer and author of the national anthem Lofsöngur. Apart from Sveinbjörnsson, most of the great names in Icelandic composition are to be found in the 20th century. Among them is Jón Leifs (1899-1968), perhaps the most important composer of Icelandic art music, the initiator of a nationalist music that integrates elements of Icelandic folklore in orchestral(Saga Symphony) and choral works(Edda Oratorio, Requiem). As a conductor, he led the first symphony concert in 1926. During the same period, Pall Isolfsson (1893-1974), a virtuoso organist who composed a few Germanic pieces, including the Althing Cantata. In the lyrical arts, Jon Asgeirsson composed the first Icelandic opera Thrymskvida in 1974. Among the contemporaries, Icelandic composition is doing well in the hands of Daníel Bjarnason, who is taking classical music into new territory and whose works have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Páll Ragnar Pálsson, a child of the avant-garde of the last century, and Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, who, like her two peers, is also trying to push back the limits of the genre
The latter has seen some of her creations performed by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the country's leading ensemble, founded in 1950 and composed of some 90 musicians. It has been conducted since 2020 by Eva Ollikainen, a Finnish conductor and the first woman to lead the orchestra, taking over from the Frenchman Yan-Pascal Tortelier. Although it suffers from a slight image deficit, the orchestra deserves to be studied, if only to appreciate its bold choices - like the country's composers. The ensemble is in residence at the famous Harpa, an incredible glass performance hall designed by Danish-Icelandic architect Olafur Eliasson. Located in the old harbour, the building stands out as a unique landmark in constant interaction with its surroundings. In addition to the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the venue is home to the Icelandic Opera, with four halls, the largest of which can hold up to 1,800 seated spectators. Another venue with plenty of room for classical music is the Salurinn Concert Hall in Kópavogur
Current music
Of course, there's Björk. A genius fairy who managed the incredible feat of achieving critical and public success - and becoming an international celebrity - with experimental electronic music, she is the one who showed the world that Iceland, this small island less populated than the city of Toulouse, has a giant, audacious and dynamic scene. And it is also her who opened the way to several generations of local artists, affirming to them that they too could dare to be giant, audacious and dynamic. The other pillar of the Icelandic scene is obviously Sigur Rós. Extremely famous in the United States and in Europe, where they fill the largest venues, Sigur Rós is one of the most important bands in post-rock, a soaring, minimalist rock in which the band infuses a fairy-tale, particularly Icelandic soul.
Björk and Sigur Rós are two Icelandic monuments that have opened the way for many artists and bands such as Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir, a fabulous cellist now known for her soundtracks of The Joker or the mini-series Chernobyl
; FM Belfast, an electropop band that - as its name doesn't indicate - is Icelandic; Mugison, the country's unclassifiable rock star; GusGus, with his crazy experimental electronica; Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir, one of the faces of Múm writing poignant solo songs; or Bjarki, a beloved name in techno. An endless list of young talents that also includes (worth mentioning) Ásgeir Trausti, Rökkurró, Hjaltalin, Kaleo, Berndsen or Of Monsters and Men, Mammut or Agent Fresco.Interestingly, the Berlin label Morr Music has been a springboard for many Icelandic bands. One can even meet some of the pundits of the post-Björk era like Múm, experimental and falsely naïve folk enchantment, Pascal Pinon, tearful folktronica, Seabear, a dreamy folk band of which Sóley used to be a member, now solo and whose electrofolk delights the whole world, or Sin Fang, also a former member of Seabear, now solo and proposing a sorrowful pop.
Another notable aspect of Iceland is its particularly porous border between contemporary classical, minimalism/serialism, ambient and electronic music. The most famous example is of course Ólafur Arnalds, capable of working on a techno project as well as releasing a tribute album to Chopin with Alice Sara Ott. Less famous but no less important is Valgeir Sigurðsson, who has composed for television, film and theatre, and whose works have been performed by symphony ensembles. He is also the founder of the Bedroom Community label, dedicated to these avant-garde artists, straddling contemporary and electronic music.
With such a rich and active scene, we can guess that the country has some great events. The best known (and most popular) is the Iceland Airwaves festival which takes place every autumn in Reykjavík. People come from all over the world - Europe, North America and even Japan - to see the best of foreign and local bands in various downtown venues (including many bars). All styles are welcome: hip hop, rock, electro, hard rock, pop, experimental, blues..., making the event a fairly accurate overview of the incredible local creative energy. The latter can also be admired at the Sónar Festival in Reykjavik - a cousin of the Barcelona festival of the same name - which is also dedicated to digital arts, electronic music and musical avant-gardes. Less well known, but just as good, is the Lunga Art Festival in Seyðisfjörður, which is dedicated to the young guard of art, design and music. As for places to go, music lovers should check out Dillon's, a local institution known for its weekend rock concerts, the trendy Kex Hostel, set up along the waterfront in a former cookie factory, which offers a variety of concerts, or Prikið for rap music and R6013 for a taste of the Reykjavík underground.
