From the New World

Isabelle Faust has been one of the world's most sought-after violinists for years. She is well known to Icelanders after being a resident artist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2010-11 and visiting the orchestra several times since. In this concert, she plays Oracle, a brand-new violin concerto by Philippe Manoury, one of France’s foremost living composers. Faust gave the world premiere recently with the SWR Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart, and Icelandic audiences now have the chance to hear it for the first time. Then, The Deep – Requiem by Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson, who passed away in March 2026, will be premiered.

In this melancholic work, he remembers friends and others who have, of their own accord, crossed the threshold that separates our lives from the world of the unknown. The Deep – Requiem was the last orchestral work that Hjálmar completed. The concert concludes with Dvořák's ever-popular symphony, From the New World, which still touches audiences with its unforgettable melodies and breathtaking drama.