Iceland Review Playlist | Dark Music Days Festival

2026-01-25 - 21:07

We are in the early days of Þorri, the winter month the Old Norse calendar remembers as the coldest and darkest of the year. Yet, for all its frost and shadow, Þorri—spanning 23 January to mid-February—is also a time of striking creativity. For just two days, Iceland turns its long, dark nights into a celebration of audacious art at the Dark Music Days Festival. Founded in 1980 by the Society of Icelandic Composers, the festival champions experimental and boundary-pushing music, with a special focus on projects that fuse sound with other art forms in unexpected ways. This week’s playlist brings together some of the artists performing at this year’s Dark Music Days Festival—an event inviting to experience the adventurous side of Icelandic music during the country’s darkest month. Lilja María Ásmundsdóttir Hailing from Iceland, Lilja María Ásmundsdóttir is a multidisciplinary artist blending sounds and visuals. Music is an abstract phenomenon, but Ásmundsdóttir presents it as a tangible experience (watch the video above where the artist explains the principle behind her work). During Dark Music Days, the musician will present her installation Hidden Trails, inspired by libraries. 25 January — 8 February 2026, Borgarbókasafn Reykjavíkur – Grófinni James MacMillan and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra One of the festival’s standout moments will be a performance by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra featuring new compositions by Bára Gísladóttir and María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir. The concert will be conducted by Scottish composer James MacMillan, whose work spans a remarkable range—from traditional classical to experimental ambient music. 29 January 2026, Harpa Concert Hall, 19:30 Haraldur Jónsson Another multidisciplinary artist featured at Dark Music Days is Haraldur Jónsson, whose work seamlessly blends diverse materials, languages, and soundscapes. During the festival, Jónsson will premiere Cast, a collaborative project created with students from the Department of Performing Arts at Listaháskóli. 29 January 2026, Harpa Concert Hall, 21:30 Magnús Jóhann Ragnarsson Pianist and composer Magnús Jóhann has built a remarkably versatile career, collaborating with a wide range of Icelandic artists, including Ólafur Arnalds, GDRN, and Óskar Guðjónsson. At this concert, he will premiere new works by composers Ingibjörg Elsa Turchi and Tumi Árnason, alongside selections from his upcoming album, featuring the acclaimed double bassist Bára Gísladóttir. 30 January 2026, Harpa Concert Hall, 17.00 Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir and APPARAT The German brass quartet APPARAT will give the world premiere of Intraloper, a new work by experimental ambient artist Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir, conceived in close collaboration with the ensemble and created exclusively for this festival. Snæbjörnsdóttir’s droney compositions invoke murky winter days in the North Atlantic. 30 January 2026, Harpa Concert Hall, 19:00 Steinunn Eldflaug Harðardóttir Icelandic artist Steinunn Eldflaug Harðardóttir, known by her stage name dj. flugvél og geimskip (DJ Airplane & Spaceship), has built a reputation for her sci-fi–inflected electronica and cartoon-like stage presence. At this year’s Dark Music Days festival, she will debut Geim Dýragarðurinn (Space Safari), a computer game she developed in collaboration with Jon Arthur Marrable. Dark Music Days is taking place in Reykjavík from 25 January to 1 February 2026. More details and full programme are available on the festival’s website.