Sunrise Concert

photo: Armin Linke

Wed, 17 June / 4.45 am / Innside by Meliá / No 116 
Thu, 18 June / 4.45 am / Innside by Meliá / No 132
 

The 2026 Bachfest will feature a new concert format for early birds – the »Sunrise Concert« series. A question to start with: are you an early riser, do you like mornings? 
I’m not really an early riser by nature – but I love it when I do get up early. The early hours before the day gets into gear have something especially peaceful about them. I treasure that time particularly when I’m surrounded by nature, or when practising on the harp – especially in the first hour of daylight.

A purely technical question: is playing the harp so early in the morning not far more strenuous than playing in the afternoon or evening?
The time of day doesn’t make much of a difference physically – and I never find playing the harp strenuous. It’s more like a confidential conversation: sometimes with a girlfriend, sometimes with a male friend, sometimes just with myself – quiet, focused, joyful and always welcome!

In these concerts you’ll be accompanying the tenor Benedikt Kristjánsson. What repertoire will we be hearing so early in the morning?
You’ll be hearing Icelandic and Alpine folk tunes – music from our home regions – as well as works by John Dowland and Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s music we love, which has accompanied us for many years. Music that moves you – a genteel, conscious start to the day.