Rannveig Káradóttir in Motherland in 2023. Photo: Jochen Berger.
Soprano Rannveig Karadottir (Rannveig Káradóttir) has commissioned me to write her a new art song for her semi-staged concert concept ‘Motherland’. Rannveig premiered ‘Motherland’ - a 1h concert of traditional and new Icelandic art songs - in Coburg, Germany in 2023 and will now tour it to Iceland in late 2024. My new work will be added to the concert and premiered as part of her Iceland tour. Also included is my art song ‘Ég held um smáa hendi’ (I hold a tiny hand) which Rannveig premiered as part of her Motherland concert in Coburg last year.
A review titled “Sorrowful is the sound of Iceland in the Coburg riding hall” (So traurig klingt Island in der Coburger Reithalle) was published in the Coburg Tageblatt in June 2023 - von Jochen Berger, Coburger Tageblatt (1.6.2023)
Update 29th May 2024:
Last week I finished writing the art song for Rannveig Káradóttir, it’s called “Sofðu, sofðu” (Sleep, sleep) and is set to a poem by Margrét Jónsdóttir, whose poetry I have set to music a few times before, for instance in my piece “Vorsól” (Spring sun) (2013/2020) for SATB and piano.
“Nú blunda litlu blómin
um bjarta júlí nótt,
á veikum stöngli vaxin,
þau vagga kolli rótt.
Og smáfugl hvílir hljóður
með höfuð undir væng,
um sólskinssöngva dreymir
í sinni mosasæng.
Í bjarkarkrónu þýtur þrátt,
hún þylur sína drauma lágt.
Sofðu, sofðu, blessað barnið mitt.”
Sofðu, sofðu is a gentle piece of 4 minutes duration, inspired by lullabies and ‘sleep music’ for children, without necessarily trying to be a lullaby itself.
Rannveig plans to premiere the song in the stunning Norðurljós concert hall (Northen Lights) in Harpa, Reykjavík, beginning of November 2024.
page 1 from “Sofðu, sofðu” (Sleep, sleep) art song (2024).
Norðurljós concert hall (Northen Lights) in Harpa, Reykjavík.