Portrait: Kurt Weill

Two extraordinary singers, a twelve-piece ensemble, and the incomparable musical world of Kurt Weill come together for a major concert at Reykjavík Opera Days 2026.

To mark the anniversary year of German composer Kurt Weill, singers Sigríður Thorlacius and Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir created a wide-ranging programme of songs and music for the stage spanning different periods of his career. The programme was first performed at the Við Djúpið Music Festival in the summer of 2025 and now returns for Reykjavík Opera Days.

Weill was one of the most influential and distinctive composers of the 20th century, writing music for opera, theatre and cabaret as well as jazz and popular song. His music can be seductive and sophisticated one moment, raw, sharp and provocative the next. From the vibrant cabaret scene of interwar Berlin to the theatres of Paris and Broadway in New York, Weill created a musical world in which the boundaries between classical and popular music begin to dissolve.

At Reykjavík Opera Days, Sigríður and Hildigunnur take to the stage with a twelve-piece ensemble to perform Weill’s music in new arrangements by Þórður Magnússon. Written especially for the two singers and the ensemble, the arrangements create a colourful and dynamic sound world where classical music and jazz meet, allowing the full theatrical breadth of Weill’s music to come alive.

The works are performed in German, English, French and Icelandic, reflecting the remarkable diversity of Weill’s career on both sides of the Atlantic.

Sigríður Thorlacius and Hildigunnur Einarsdóttir are two of Iceland’s most beloved singers. Close friends as well as musical collaborators, they have each made their mark in a different musical world – Sigríður in popular music and Hildigunnur in classical music. What they share is an exceptional stage presence and voices of extraordinary beauty. Here, their contrasting voices come together in music where words, characters, passion and drama are never far from the surface.