REYKJAVÍK FESTIVAL: SIGUR RÓS & LA PHIL,
NIGHT 1 @ Walt
DisNey Concert Hall
REVIEW BY ALEXANDER LAURENCE
I hadn’t been to Disney Hall
for a few years. The last time I had was when Joanna Newsom played there almost
ten years ago. One thing is for sure: Disney Hall is probably the best venue
for music in Los
Angeles
And so I was there at the
first night of Reykjavik Festival. Sigur Ros is one of the best international
bands, and one of the best known Icelandic acts. I have seen them a few times
before but not in such an upscale venue, and not backed by the LA Philharmonic.
I felt like some people were dressed formal, but being LA there were also some
shorts and baseball caps. I hadn’t seen any orchestral music for quite a number
of years, so I was interested in where contemporary classical music was, beyond
stuff I was familiar with like John Cage, Pierre Boulez, and Phillip Glass. As
I look at the schedule in months to come I see well known names like Schubert
and Mahler, and of course, John Adams, who seems to have had resurgence this
past year. So everything looked in place for a splendid evening.
The evening began with two
minimal pieces by Icelandic composers, Hlynur Adils Vilmarsson and Daniel Bjarnason.
Vilmarsson’s “bd” consisted of violin and cello players sliding their bows over
the strings. The lack of conventional musical notes was interesting. Bjarnason’s
“Emergence” was bizarrely minimal and strange as well, and very unlike what was
to come. I should mention that this night was curated by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Daníel
Bjarnason.
After a break, Sigur Ros came
on stage with the LA Philharmonic. Sigur Ros is now a trio. They performed
eight songs together, including orchestrations by Dan Deacon, Owen Pallett, and
Anna Meredith, and others. This event combined the rock sound of Sigur Ros with
the expansive sound of a forty piece orchestra. The musical peak was somewhere
in the middle when they played the most familiar songs like “Fljotavik” and
“Staralfur.” By the end of this second set people on the main floor were
bobbing their heads back and forth like they were watching a heavy metal gig,
and by the last song, most were standing. It was a sight to behold.
There was another needed
break. Sigur Ros came back as only a trio. They played a more standard format
and played songs from all of their albums during the night. Seven more songs
with intense lights and volume, and causing some of the hardcore fans to get
back up on their feet. The lead singer Jonsi jumped out towards the audience
and knocked over a light stand. It was a three hour classical rock journey, and
Sigur Ros delivered the goods this night. Hope to see them again sometime.
Sigur Ros Photo credit: Craig T. Mathew/Mathew Imaging
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