HOT on the heels of Nick Cave’s live stream from Ally Pally, announced yesterday, comes news from Iceland: Björk is to stream three matinee performances from Reykjavík’s Harpa Hall, to take place on August 9th, 15th and 23rd.
The event, which has been put together with Iceland Airwaves, intends to raise money for a domestic women’s charity.
The trio of performances will celebrate the Icelandic musicians that Björk has worked with over the years; each will feature a collective of more than 100 drawn from three groups.
Each concert will feature different songs, with Björk´s instrumental arrangements played by members of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, Flute Septet Viibra, Hamrahlíð Choir and special guests – without electronics or beats.
The performances will be raising money and awareness for Kvennaathvarfid, a charity that supports women and immigrants of different origin within Iceland.
With Iceland now reopening after the pandemic, the shows will take place with a live audience.
The programme will be as follows: on Sunday, August 9th, Bjork will play with the Hamrahlið Choir, under conductor Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir, with Bergur Þórisson at the organ.
On Saturday, August 15th, she will appear with the string section of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, under conductor Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason;
And finally, on Sunday, August 23rd, she will perform with the brass from the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, flute septet Viibra, harpist Katie Buckley, and pianist Jónas Sen.
All shows will commence at 5pm, GMT.
Björk said: “Dear friends.
“I would like to invite you to some concerts to honour folks who got hit hardest in the coronavirus, and the Black Lives Matter movement; and to honour how many Icelandic musicians I have worked with through the years.
“We are going to celebrate that we are all healthily exiting quarantine together by playing concerts in Harpa music hall for three weekends [in] August.
“My input into the feminist fight is to brag about that almost all of those arrangements are by me; unfortunately this is something that is almost always ignored when women are arrangers.
“The concerts will be in the afternoons and will also be streamed live online, where there will be an option to donate to the Icelandic women’s shelter, which supports women of all origin in Iceland.
“The concerts will be ‘unplugged’, or acoustic, and performed without beats and electronics. I feel we are going through extraordinary times; horrifying but also an opportunity to truly change. It is demanded of us that we finally confront all racism; that we learn that lives are more important that profit, and look inside us and finecomb out all our hidden prejudices and privileges.
“Let’s all humbly learn together [and] transform. Humongous love, Björk.”
Live stream tickets are priced at £15, with 20% of proceeds going towards charity, alongside extra charitable donation options available. Streaming ticket options are available below.
A bundle ticket, for all three performances: https://link.dice.fm/bjork-orkestral-live-from-reykjavik-iceland
August 9th: https://link.dice.fm/rx2YYwqay7
August15th: https://link.dice.fm/HkuJz1tay7
August 23rd: https://link.dice.fm/78OuMcxay7
