Iceland will stage Valkyries without enough room for an orchestra

Icelandic Opera will stage the national remiere of Die Walküre at Harpa Hall in Reykjavík on 24 February 2022.

Only one problem:  Harpa Hall has a tiny pit so the players of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra will have to sit on stage among the singers.

Steinunn Birna Ragnarsdóttir, CEO and Artistic Director of The Icelandic Opera, shares her thoughts: “It is of vital importance to us to be able to share this Wagner production with Icelandic audiences now that the future has started up again, and to provide the opportunity to experience this magnificent opera with a stellar cast. We shall have to disappoint Wagner by placing the orchestra on the stage, but not the audience!”  She concludes with further optimism: “Hopefully there will be more Wagner to come at Icelandic Opera in the near future.”