My latest opera - Þögnin / The Silence - will be premiered in Reykjavík, 19th and 20th of August 2022. Rehearsals start 1st of August, in just under two weeks, and I am very excited!
The first poster for Þögnin / The Silence opera. Featuring a partial picture of bass singer Bjarni Thor Kristinsson.
The cast is not only world class, but world renowned. Bjarni Thor Kristinsson bass sings the leading role of Hjálmar. Operabase sums it up nicely by saying that he “is one of the best known Icelandic opera singers” and that he “has sung in many of the most important opera houses and concert halls of the world.” https://www.operabase.com/artists/bjarni-thor-kristinsson-2196/bio/en One of the bigger supporting role, Almar, is sung by wonderful tenor Gissur Pall Gissurarson, described by visitreykjavík.is as “one of the most beloved Icelandic tenors.” The excellent and glowing contralto Elsa Waage sings the role of Bára. She has performed in opera houses in Mexico, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Iceland, USA, Austria, Denmark and Sweden. The talented and up-and-coming new music soprano Björk Níelsdóttir embodies the role of Áróra, fresh from her premiere of the dutch opera spectacle Kaapdiegoiekoop.
The story is very personal, written by my friend and long-time collaborator Árni Kristjánsson. It covers many important, and often ignored, contemporary themes such as suppression, shame and the loneliness that comes with old age. Most importantly the story is about forgiveness and coming to terms with the past.
Synopsis: Hjálmar is an elderly widower who has lost touch with his children. We follow him for one day as he attends the funeral of Áróra, a woman he had a short-lived romance with half a century ago. As a part of entering marriage with Bára, Hjálmar swore not to contact his illegitimate son Almar and between them there has only been silence. Hjálmar knows he might run into Almar at the funeral, which he is keen to avoid as it would tear up some nasty old wounds, but Almar on the contrary wants to rebuild the bridge that was burned so many years ago. Is Hjálmar too set in his ways to patch things up and become part of a family once more?
This is the first time I have had to explicitly think about how to describe the music of this opera, having only finished it end of May this year, but it is always a good exercise to do so for a composer. If I had to sum it up I might say that it is composed in a neoclassical, post-minimalist, 21st century style, with a through-composed mindset, where scenes melt into scenes and the over arching emotion/message of the opera rules the colour (as opposed to the individual ups and downs of the characters); very long, slow phrases of accompanying lyrical melodies and harmonies create a dramatic “blanket” on which the characters “stand” and deliver their story.
Instruments: trumpet/flugelhorn, piano, cello
Voices: Soprano, alto, tenor bass
Duration: 60 minutes