At All Hallows, November 1st 2015 at 5 pm, Schola Cantorum chamber choir will give a candlelight concert in Hallgrimskirkja under the title Rest.

Schola Cantorum’s candlelight concerts on this ancient holiday, where the deceased are remembered, have become a tradition. This year’s programme consists of intensely beautiful 20th and 21st century music truly fit for the eternal rest. Among them are John Tavener’s simple but stirring The Lamb, Eric Whitacre’s unearthly Lux aurumque and two of the most beautiful Icelandic choir pieces ever written: Jon Leifs’ Requiem for the young daughter he lost and Thorkell Sigurbjornsson’s Heyr himna smiður (Hear Heaven’s Maker).

Schola Cantorum has just finished recording for Swedish Label BIS with German tonmeister Jens Ulrich Braun.   On the CD there will be works from the candlelight concert programme along with outstanding contemporary choir works, both Icelandic and foreign.

On November 12th, the choir travels to Switzerland. It has been invited to participate in the arts festival Culturescapes 2015 in Basel and neighbourhood, featuring Icelandic art. The choir gives five concerts in four days: In the theatre in Chur on November 12th, in the theatre in Bellinzona on the 13th, in the church in Uster on the 14th, in Goetheanum in Dornach on the 15th and in the Basel Cathedral that same evening (further information at www.culturescape.ch). On the programme will be works from the candlelight concert plus Icelandic folk songs and religious pieces from the upcoming CD.

19 singers participate in the projects. Conductor of Schola Cantorum from the beginning is Hordur Askelsson.

Tickets are 3.500 kr and a discount will be offered as usual to students and members of the Hallgrimskirkja Friends of the Arts Society at the entrance. Ticket sales are at Hallgrimskirkja and at TIX.IS.

From the programme:

James MacMillan (*1959)    A Child´s Prayer

John Tavener (1944-2013) The Lamb

Hugi Guðmundsson (*1977) Hvíld

Jón Leifs (1899-1968) Requiem

Ēriks Ešenvalds (*1977) O salutaris hostia

Morten Lauridsen (*1943) O nata lux

Sigurður Sævarsson (*1963) Nunc dimittis

Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson (1938-2013) Nú hverfur sól í haf

Eric Whitacre (*1970) Lux aurumque

Arvo Pärt (*1935) Nunc dimittis

Anna Þorvaldsdóttir (*1977) Heyr þú oss himnum á

Hörður Áskelsson (*1953) Hvíld

Hreiðar Ingi (*1978) Nunc dimittis

Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson (1938-2013)   Heyr himnasmiður