Icelandic Music News: Múm Twins In Ragnar Piece, HÁTIÐNI Returns, Daníel Conducts

Twin sisters, múm members, and thriving solo artists Gyða and Kristin Anna Valtýsdóttir have been announced as participants in a new Ragnar Kjartansson piece entitled “Death Is Elsewhere.” They star alongside another set of musical twins—Bryce and Aaron Dessner of sadcore alt-country-indie-rock group The National. The 77 minute piece is a seven channel immersive video installation, perhaps following on from Ragnar’s striking “The Visitors.” The performers “seem to encircle the viewer, resembling what the artist calls “symmetrical sculptures,” as they move through a pastoral landscape performing the song ‘Death Is Elsewhere.’” The piece will show at the New York Met from May 30th-September 2nd.

The post-dreifing DIY music and arts collective—of which indie-pop stars the bagdad brothers are the most well-known faces—have announced the first lineup of this year’s Hátiðni festival. In 2019 the festival will take place July 5th-7th, with the venue moving from Borgarfjörður to the tiny village of Borðeyri in Hrútafjörður, north-west Iceland. The acts announced so far are The Beeves (US), Special-K, bagdad brothers, Tucker Carlson’s Jonestown Massacre, Skoffín, stirnir, K.óla, Gyðjan Uxi and Captain Syrup. Get more details at post-dreifing.is.

Composer, musician, Bedroom Community member and former Grapevine cover star Daníel Bjarnasson has been announced as the new Principal Guest Conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra (or Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands). Starting in September 2019, his tenure will last two years. The 40-year-old has a long-standing relationship with the orchestra, previously serving as both their Artist and Composer-In-Residence. “Daníel is an unusually versatile artist with a deep understanding of the symphony orchestra as a musical instrument,” said Arna Kristín Einarsdóttir, the orchestra’s managing director.