大象传媒

Donald Macleod visits the frozen North to explore Icelandic classical music's ancient roots, and learn more about Iceland's greatest 20th-century composer: Jon Leifs.

For more than a millennium, Iceland's composers have drawn upon the sounds of its unique geology: sounds created in a glacial, geothermal landscape like nowhere else on earth. Searing water explodes from fissures; the earth steams spongily underfoot; vast, electric-blue hunks of solid ice crack and collide as they bob down otherwise silent fjords. Yet Iceland's classical music tradition remains barely known. This week, Donald Macleod explores the landscapes and vistas of the world's most northerly island nation - to discover its unique musical culture.

Donald begins his travels around Iceland with an exploration of its earliest art music - with Romantic-era songs by the lonely doctor Sigvaldi Kaldal贸ns, whose name means 'cold lagoon', and the composer of Iceland's national anthem: Sveinbj枚rn Sveinbj枚rnsson, who later made his home in Edinburgh. He meets the Icelandic musicologist 脕rni Heimir Ing贸lfsson to discuss the influence of Iceland's ancient folk music on its classical tradition, and introduces the work of "Iceland's Sibelius" - the 20th-century composer, Jon Leifs.

J贸n Leifs: The Throwing Game (Baldr)
Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Kari Kropsu (conductor)

Sveinbj枚rn Sveinbj枚rnsson: Allegro (Piano Trio in E minor)
Au冒ur Hafsteinsd贸ttir (violin), Sigurgeir Agnarsson (cello), N铆na Margr茅t Gr铆msd贸ttir (piano)

Sveinbj枚rn Sveinbj枚rnsson: 脫 Gu冒 vors lands
K贸r Langholtskirju, J贸n Stef谩nsson (conductor)

Traditional: Numarimur
Steindor Andersen (vocalist)

J贸n Leifs: Icelandic Dances, Op 12 and 14b (excerpts)
Orn Magnusson (piano)

Sigvaldi Kaldal贸ns: 脡g l铆t 铆 anda li冒na t铆冒; M谩ninn; Gamla konan
Gu冒run T贸masd贸ttir (soprano)

Leifs: Variationi Pastorali (on a theme of Beethoven), Op 8
Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Christian Lindberg (conductor)

First broadcast December 2012.