Sigurður Bragason
Encyclopedia
Sigurður Bragason is an Iceland
ic baritone
.
He studied in Germany
and Italy
after graduating from the Conservatory of Music in Reykjavík
. He is one of Iceland’s best-known singers and is much sought-after as interpreter of Icelandic
, Russian
, German
and Italian
songs.
1998, Beethoven Haus in Bonn
1992,1993 and 1998, Temppeliaukion Kirko (The Rock-Church) in Helsinki
1997 and 1998, The Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
in New York
1996 and 2000, the Wigmore Hall
in London 1993 and 2001 and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in 2003.
, La Boheme
, The Magic Flute
, Let’s Make an Opera, Dido and Aeneas
, Carmina Burana
under Willy Gohl, Messias, Bach Cantatas and Vespro della Beata Vergine by Monteverdi to name few of his musical roles. In 1995 Sigurður sang the lead role specially written for him in a new Icelandic opera “The Moonlight Island” by the Nordic Music Prize composer Atli Heimir Sveinsson on a tournee in Germany.
He is a sought-after interpreter of songs by the Icelandic composer Jón Leifs and has appeared in several television and radio programmes including WDR in Germany and BBC's “Comparing Notes”.
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
.
He studied in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
after graduating from the Conservatory of Music in Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
. He is one of Iceland’s best-known singers and is much sought-after as interpreter of Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
songs.
International career
His international career has taken him to music festivals and such renowned concert halls in Europe and the United States as the Royal Concertgebouw in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
1998, Beethoven Haus in Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
1992,1993 and 1998, Temppeliaukion Kirko (The Rock-Church) in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
1997 and 1998, The Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
1996 and 2000, the Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall
Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...
in London 1993 and 2001 and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in 2003.
Musical work
Sigurður has also appeared in ToscaTosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
, La Boheme
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, Let’s Make an Opera, Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
, Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana , Latin for "Songs from Beuern" , is the name given to a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces were written principally in Medieval Latin; a few in Middle High German, and some with traces...
under Willy Gohl, Messias, Bach Cantatas and Vespro della Beata Vergine by Monteverdi to name few of his musical roles. In 1995 Sigurður sang the lead role specially written for him in a new Icelandic opera “The Moonlight Island” by the Nordic Music Prize composer Atli Heimir Sveinsson on a tournee in Germany.
He is a sought-after interpreter of songs by the Icelandic composer Jón Leifs and has appeared in several television and radio programmes including WDR in Germany and BBC's “Comparing Notes”.
Discography
Sigurður's first solo album with Icelandic and Italian songs appeared in 1989. His CDs include Songs of Light and Darkness with works by Tosti, Donizetti, Verdi, Respighi and Mussorgsky in 1993, Songs of the Master Pianists with works by Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Ravel and Rubinstein in 1995, accompanied by pianist Vovka Ashkenazy, and Mozart Arias with the Baltic Symphony Orchestra in 1999.Sources
- Samtíðarmenn 2003, Biography: Sigurður Bragason (in Icelandic)