Excerpt from our concert at the Festival of Sacred Arts 2019 in Hallgrímskirkja church, Reykjavík.
Nominations for the Icelandic Music Awards are just in - UMBRA is nominated for Album of the Year 2019 for LLIBRE VERMELL !
We will be premiering composer Kristín Þóra Haraldsdóttir’s brand theatrical composition, Bloodhoof, at the annual festival of contemporary and new music, Dark Music Days, in Reykjavík. Bloodhoof is based on the poem Blóðhófnir by Icelandic poet Gerður Kristný. Blóðhófnir is a contemporary version of an Old Norse tale, Skírnismál, seen in the light of abduction and abuse of giantess Gerður Gymisdóttir. Umbra will be performing with top notch Icelandic musicians, including the composer herself, with stunning visuals.
We finished recording the entire piece in 2019 and Bloodhoof will be released on Innova Recordings very very soon!
We are so happy to announce the release of our award winning Christmas album SÓLHVÖRF (Solstitium) on high quality vinyl! Only a few precious copies manufactured, available at local stores and directly from our publisher, Dimma.
After a few months of mixing and editing, our new album is finally out! Our publisher Dimma just released our third album, entitled LLIBRE VERMELL: Maríusöngvar frá miðöldum (LLIBRE VERMELL: Medieval Marian Chants). The album is the performing ensemble’s rendition of songs from the 14th century Red Book from Montserrat, including tunes from Nordic manuscripts dating from the 15th and 16th centuries. The album is available in Icelandic music stores and now also available on Spotify. We are beyond grateful for the entire team that helped us make this album come to life; all pretty amazing musicians and professionals in their own right;
Marina Albero psalterium (check out her newest triple-album A Life Soundtrack!), Þórdís Gerður Jónsdóttir cello, Kristofer Rodriguez Svönuson percussion (check out his new release Primo), Eggert Pálsson percussion, Cantores Islandiae and last but not least, all made possible by our recording producer Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir.
Artwork and design (amazing): Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir
