Sunday 08 June, 2013 Sonnudagurin 08.juní 2013
Í dag kem ég í Harpa að horða klassiska tónlista. Ég kem með stræto.
I have still not decided if it is better to write in English, where I have a modicum of ability, or to jump in and write in Icelandic, throwing English words where necessary. I imagine that those of my friends who are interested in the general journey, who cannot read Icelandic, would not mind if my writing was actually up to par; whereas the learning curve of the language would be greatly improved if I were to jump in. Thus, the ambivalence.
Today the last concert in the Podium series is being held at Harpa. Harpa is an amazing architectural marvel, reminiscent in some ways of a glass cubed beehive. The windows are tinted in some places, and not in others, and my description of the place is highly inadequate. If it is not raining when I leave, I will take a picture with the iPad — or with the iPhone and email it to myself on the iPad, so that I can provide somewhat of a visual to the Reader.
In any event, the event today is a classical concert and is free of charge. Free of charge and a classical concert in the same sentence is a Godsend to me — to this Nerdette, it may have the same impact as winning a minor lottery. As it was raining, I took this opportunity to take the Bus (Stræto). The numbers 6 and 3 both stop at Harpa directly and are the first stops after leaving Hlemmur, which is the main transfer station to my Hotel/Hostel/Dorm. As it was raining fairly steadily, I was not of the mindset to walk in the rain. As it turned out, I am very early — I arrived before quarter after two for a three o’clock concert. I am listening to the strings practice, but trying not to pay attention. An interesting aspect to this is that the leader is speaking in English!
So it is a rainy day in Reykjavik. Who would have thought! I enjoy a rainy day very much, but not when I am trying to appear somewhat respectable at a concert. This concert is being held in a wing of the Harpa, not in a concert hall, but looking out at the harbor. This is the view from my seat:
As you can see from the picture, it is quite the intimate setting. You can also see the colored class. Here is a shot down the hall at the glass:
This picture shows the glass panes in various colors. At night the lighting is also very interesting in the Harpa. I will not be able to demonstrate this as the sun does not set at this time of the year, but there are pictures on line of the Harpa.
There are other concerts coming up at the Harpa which are free of charge to the community. One of them is on the 21st of June, but listed a “buy tickets” option on the website. I was not of the mindset to provide a credit card number to the website for a free concert, so decided to check at the box office for tickets when I arrived this afternoon. This also brought to mind the thought that perhaps this Podium concert would require tickets, and so I inquired as to that as well upon arrival. Alas, my limited Icelandic vocabulary does not include inquiries as to ticket purchases, but thankfully the kind gentleman with whom I spoke speaks English very well. No tickets are required for any of these concerts!
Ah, it is time to close down the iPad as people are arriving.
The concert was pretty interesting. The musicians were all technically brilliant, and, as athe music was quite modern, technical ability proves helpful. Every piece but one held a fascination: as a musician, I can appreciate the work and talent required to perform these pieces. From an enjoyment standard, I cannot say that I would want to sit in my parlor and listen to any of these pieces for any extended amount of time; indeed, to have sat through them at this time is enough for me.