church concerts

I, like I think most Icelanders, have been inside Icelandic churches mostly for baptisms, confirmations, funerals, and concerts. Yes, concerts. Unlike American services, where music is part of the service, here there are just ticketed entry concerts, unaffiliated with the mission of the church. Had this not been something I was familiar with from youth, it might seem strange to me; I went to Hallgrimskirkja to hear my cousin sing when I was really quite young. And then a few years later to a different church to hear classical guitar and harpists play. This morning I find myself nostalgic for those dulcet sounds. Too bad a concert is not planned for today. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
I wouldn't mind having more choices for concerts than churches, but of course they are better than nothing and perfect for a religious music setting.

Don't know about any concerts today, either, tons of them last weekend, I only made it to two, wanted to go to at least five...
March 15, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Lissy said…
Well, it would take a lot of work to build new concert halls here in Iceland, and that is not something the government has, as of yet, put too many resources into. But perhaps that is changing. All I can say is that it takes a lot of work, not only to get together a good group of musicians, but also a good set of music, not to mention a great auditorium. I applaud you for doing your part!
March 15, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Anonymous said…
Of course we can't expect tons of new houses at the moment - but I might have liked a couple of them for the last 50 years or so ;)

Thanks, we do our best...
March 15, 2009 at 4:07 PM
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