Mondays in Iceland - #15

Luncheon Concert


The Opera House, Reykjavík, 2004

I had flown in on the red-eye from Minneapolis the night before, we had left late so by the time I had gotten checked in at the guest house and had walked back downtown it was nearly noon, just in time for a "Lunch at the Opera" concert. There was a lively queue of white hairs wearing furs and jewelry standing outside in the blustery March air; I helped more than a few octogenarians up over the tricky threshold into the small lobby of what was once a cinema, now home to the opera. I got my ticket and went in; the theater had never been remodeled, with ancient seats and a pleasant aura of shows gone by.

It was really just a recital, three singers with piano accompaniment, in Italian (fortunately for me the lyrics were projected above the stage - in Icelandic, of course!) The singing was first-rate, and although I was severely jet-lagged, it was a wonderful way to start a trip.

Afterward, I went back to the guesthouse and fell asleep for 18 hours.