The performances of my opera Music and the Brain are over for now, and I am extremely happy with the results. I could go as far as to say that it was a hit; sold out shows and excellent reviews and reception.
One of our posters, it reads: “The audience said: - … I was moved to tears and had goosebumps the whole time - … this opera is extremely well written and performed - A really great show, particularly well performed - Totally rad! - This was incredible!”
You can listen to audio excerpts from the show here: http://helgiingvarsson.com/vocal
When you write a new opera, of course you do your best to make things sound good and flow in time with the drama, but in the end it depends a lot on the performers whether everything comes together and works. That said, I feel incredibly lucky with my team. Gunnar Guðbjörnsson tenor took the role of the Doctor further than I could have ever imagined and for instance added some good humour to certain moments. Þórgunnur Anna Örnólfsdóttir mezzo-soprano dived deep into the psyche of the afflicted and broken Singer and gave her really tangible emotions, it was amazing to watch. Antonia Hevesí on the piano had to tackle numerous different musical styles found in the opera, and made it look easy! Helen Whitaker on the flute was released into a semi-improvisation on pre-written material and out came her’s and Þórgunnur's amazing duet where the Singer finally loses her patience with the Doctor. It's a lot of work to put together a show like this, but with a group like that by your side, it's definitely worth it. Thank you to everyone who came to the performances, thank you Rebecca Hurst for the inspiring script, and thank you to the Music Fund, the Children's Culture Fund, the Opera Days Festival and the Friends of the Icelandic Opera for their support.
You can read more about Music and the Brain opera on my opera page (click here).
The group after our last show, from left: Antonía Hevesí pianist, Þórgunnur Anna Örnólfsdóttir mezzo-soprano (with the brain), Helen Whitaker flautist, Helgi R. Ingvarsson composer, and Gunnar Guðbjörnsson tenor.
Gunnar Guðbjörnsson tenor as The Doctor, 2021 production of Music and the Brain.