Latest news with #GeorgHolm
Sydney Morning Herald
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Vivid Live: A triumphant orchestral excursion with Sigur Ros and the SSO
VIVID LIVE SIGUR ROS Opera House Concert Hall, May 23. Also May 24 and 25. Reviewed by ROD YATES ★★★★ Before starting this tour, Icelandic three-piece Sigur Ros were at pains to point out these shows would be more than just a traditional group performance with the backing of an orchestra. Indeed, bassist Georg Holm told this masthead that concertgoers would be seeing 'the orchestral version of the band'. And so it is that when the trio follow British conductor Robert Ames onstage, each member clad uniformly in black, they position themselves among the already seated Sydney Symphony Orchestra, rather than at the front of the stage. The message is clear: Sigur Ros are a part of the ensemble, no more or less important than the 41 musicians surrounding them. It's a point made time and again throughout this two-hour excursion through the band's cinematic, often ethereal catalogue, from the title track of their 1997 debut album Von to material from their latest, 2023's Atta. The rich cellos that usher in Untitled #1 – Vaka lend it a warmer, more sombre gravitas than its recorded counterpart; the rousing oompah climax of the exquisite Se Lest benefits from the added bombast, one of the rare occasions the orchestra takes full-blooded flight. The very presence of the SSO affords the band the opportunity to realise the string-laden Staralfur in all its glory, a feat they long stopped trying in their more traditional live shows. Loading They are masters of navigating dynamic musical ebbs and flows; as Ekki Mukk draws to a close and the orchestra slowly dissipates, Kjartan Sveinsson's haunting keyboard refrain is rendered even more fragile by virtue of the sound that came before it, a contrast that renders the audience completely silent as the notes fade to a whisper. On occasion the songs do tend to blend into one another, vocalist Jonsi Birgisson's majestic falsetto (an instrument in itself) gliding above the sweeping strings. It would, however, be a disservice to label it repetitive – instead the effect is more hypnotic and dreamlike, as though the entire Opera House is one giant, fully immersive sound bath.
The Age
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Vivid Live: A triumphant orchestral excursion with Sigur Ros and the SSO
VIVID LIVE SIGUR ROS Opera House Concert Hall, May 23. Also May 24 and 25. Reviewed by ROD YATES ★★★★ Before starting this tour, Icelandic three-piece Sigur Ros were at pains to point out these shows would be more than just a traditional group performance with the backing of an orchestra. Indeed, bassist Georg Holm told this masthead that concertgoers would be seeing 'the orchestral version of the band'. And so it is that when the trio follow British conductor Robert Ames onstage, each member clad uniformly in black, they position themselves among the already seated Sydney Symphony Orchestra, rather than at the front of the stage. The message is clear: Sigur Ros are a part of the ensemble, no more or less important than the 41 musicians surrounding them. It's a point made time and again throughout this two-hour excursion through the band's cinematic, often ethereal catalogue, from the title track of their 1997 debut album Von to material from their latest, 2023's Atta. The rich cellos that usher in Untitled #1 – Vaka lend it a warmer, more sombre gravitas than its recorded counterpart; the rousing oompah climax of the exquisite Se Lest benefits from the added bombast, one of the rare occasions the orchestra takes full-blooded flight. The very presence of the SSO affords the band the opportunity to realise the string-laden Staralfur in all its glory, a feat they long stopped trying in their more traditional live shows. Loading They are masters of navigating dynamic musical ebbs and flows; as Ekki Mukk draws to a close and the orchestra slowly dissipates, Kjartan Sveinsson's haunting keyboard refrain is rendered even more fragile by virtue of the sound that came before it, a contrast that renders the audience completely silent as the notes fade to a whisper. On occasion the songs do tend to blend into one another, vocalist Jonsi Birgisson's majestic falsetto (an instrument in itself) gliding above the sweeping strings. It would, however, be a disservice to label it repetitive – instead the effect is more hypnotic and dreamlike, as though the entire Opera House is one giant, fully immersive sound bath.
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Sigur Rós have always made grand, evocative music. Now they're doing it with orchestras
You never forget your first time hearing Sigur Rós. Their evocative, ethereal compositions sound unlike anybody else — a mix of post-rock grandeur, ambient soundscapes and neo-classical that manages to feel epic yet intimate. Twenty-six years after their groundbreaking second album, Ágaetis Byrjun (translation: A Good Beginning), made them Iceland's biggest sonic export since Björk, Sigur Rós continue to spellbind audiences with music that's difficult to categorise but easy to be swept up in. This week, they bring the magic back for an Australian tour that sees the group accompanied by a full-scale orchestra. "We always wanted to do a show with a full orchestra, but we never really wanted to do the kind of classic 'band and orchestra show'," bassist Georg Holm tells Double J's Karen Leng. There's a long history of rock bands teaming up with orchestras, from Deep Purple to Metallica and Kiss, but Holm explains Sigur Rós aimed for a subtle difference — being absorbed into the wider ensemble as opposed to just fronting it. "Every night has been a collaboration," says Holm, and what began as an experiment, "with a few shows" in New York City with the Wordless Music Orchestra, has grown into a global trek featuring local orchestras in each city. In Australia, Sigur Rós will be accompanied by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Orchestra, Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra for Vivid LIVE. "We like the idea of working with local people everywhere we go because it gives the music something else … It's great to hear the nuances and different ways of how people express the music." Touring with the band is conductor Rob Ames. "He is the glue. He puts everything together [and] it's a unique experience every night," Holm says. "It is amazing how you have the music written down — it's on sheet music … and you would think it's like reading from a book. But it's like the book is in Latin. "It's just like a universal language, no-one knows how to pronounce it, but the conductor is there to tell you how to pronounce it. "Everyone will put something from themselves into it. It's fantastic!" Having played in the US, Europe, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore already, Holm has "definitely noticed" the unique subtleties of each place and performance. "[There are] differences in culture, and you do see how people react differently to your music. But I have to say, the old cliché of music being a universal language [has] a certain amount of truth." In concert, the band's celestial textures and stirring songs often provoke intense emotional reactions from audiences. "Through the years, we've kind of gotten used to that, people fainting and crying" Holm laughs. "I think it's absolutely amazing that people get a physical reaction to music." The phenomenon reminds Holm of an anecdote from his late friend, British producer Ken Thomas, who worked on Ágaetis Byrjun and it's 2002 follow-up, ( ). "He pointed out to us that the amazing thing about music is that it's just moving air. It is nothing else. You can't see music, and it is basically just air hitting your eardrums in different frequencies. "I always find that amazing standing on stage. It's a bunch of musicians, and all we're doing is just creating a frequency that's moving air out into the audience. And the people out in the audience are getting a physical reaction to that. Despite the fact very few fans speak the Icelandic band's native tongue, it's never been a barrier to their success. In fact, frontman Jón Þór Birgisson — or simply, Jónsi, often sings in the fictional language of Hopelandic, and his extraterrestrial falsetto is a large part of the band's otherworldly appeal. "The amazing thing about him is that he's just getting better. Obviously with age, voices change but it doesn't seem to happen to Jónsi. His voice just seems to be growing and getting better with the years." The catalyst for the current tour is the orchestral Átta (Icelandic for eight), the group's first album of original material since 2013's darker, louder Kveikur (translation: fuse/candlewick). "It didn't really feel like a whole decade between records … I didn't realise it until someone pointed it out to me," remarks Holm. The band's parts were mostly recorded in Los Angeles before they linked up with the London Contemporary Orchestra at the legendary Abbey Road studios. "We've worked at Abbey Road a few times before, and it's always such an honour to be in that studio," Holm says. "The history there, the people that work there are fantastic, and obviously the equipment is just unique." Significantly, Átta is also Sigur Rós's first album since the return of multi-instrumentalist Kjartan Sveinsson (who departed before Kveikur's release). "He was instrumental — excuse the pun — in getting this whole thing together," adds Holm. Sveinsson — with the assistance of Ames and his wife Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir of Icelandic group (and frequent Sigur Rós collaborators) Amiina — wrote orchestral arrangements for the tour, including reworks of the band's older material. "We thought it would be great to play some of the songs that we haven't played before, or that we have tried to play before, but we've never felt worked in a live environment," says Holm. "Also, maybe some songs that would be interesting to sort of reinvent. It's a fantastic opportunity to have a whole big orchestra behind you. We looked at it as an opportunity to do something new, something fresh." That includes 'Starálfur', a string-centric highlight from Ágaetis Byrjun, and the title track to 1997 debut album Von. The latter, reinvented version has delighted even Holm. "We were playing in Taipei and a thought just popped into my mind when we were playing 'Von'. We haven't really played it in a long time [and] now we're playing it in a completely different way. So, what has surprised me is that [the songs] do have a life of their own. They do evolve." Sigur Rós perform at the following dates: Friday, May 16 – AEC Theatre: Kaurna Land, Adelaide Saturday, May 17 – AEC Theatre: Kaurna Land, Adelaide (sold out) Monday, May 19 – Hamer Hall: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land, Melbourne (sold out) Tuesday, May 20 – Hamer Hall: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land, Melbourne (sold out) Wednesday, May 21 – Palais Theatre: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land, Melbourne Friday, May 23 – Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House: Gadigal Land, Sydney Saturday, May 24 – Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House: Gadigal Land, Sydney Sunday, May 25 – Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House: Gadigal Land, Sydney (sold out) Tuesday, May 27 – QPAC Concert Hall: Turrbal Jagera Land, Brisbane (sold out) Wednesday, May 28 – QPAC Concert Hall: Turrbal Jagera Land, Brisbane
The Age
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Who let the strings out? Why Sigur Rós reinvented their music for this Australian tour
If ever a band was suited to performing live with an orchestra, it is Sigur Rós. The Icelandic trio's music is hard to categorise, but sounds like it comes from another planet – it is sung largely in the invented tongue Hopelandic and dotted with creative elements, such as a guitar played with a cello bow. Textural and complex, this music doesn't need language to be understood on an almost spiritual level. 'Sigur Rós and an orchestra is something that a lot of people have been waiting for – and actually, we've been waiting for as well,' says the band's bassist, Georg Holm. 'We've been waiting for the right opportunity and the right way to represent it.' In 2023, this long-held vision finally came to life – and what began as an experiment has bloomed into an ongoing tour around the world. Holm makes an important distinction between this show and other rock bands performing with orchestras. 'It was important for us that it wasn't a band with an orchestra, but rather the orchestral version of the band,' he says. 'We wanted to take everything we had, dismantle it and rebuild it into something different.' This version of the Sigur Rós live experience has more in common with a classical music recital than a rock show: a sit-down affair in some of the most beautiful concert venues in the world. Many of the band's songs had to be reworked to suit this new setting. Keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson, his wife Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir of the Icelandic band Amiina (also formerly a touring member of Sigur Rós), and British conductor Robert Ames composed the new arrangements. Some songs are only performed in part during the show, as the music all swirls together in this magical space. Loading Holm refers to this process as a reinvention of the music. 'Songs where I'd usually be playing very loud with a distortion pedal on the bass – that's not happening now,' Holm says. 'And the opposite as well – parts I'd usually play quietly, I now play loudly. [They are] subtle differences, but for us, it's very different.'
Sydney Morning Herald
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Who let the strings out? Why Sigur Rós reinvented their music for this Australian tour
If ever a band was suited to performing live with an orchestra, it is Sigur Rós. The Icelandic trio's music is hard to categorise, but sounds like it comes from another planet – it is sung largely in the invented tongue Hopelandic and dotted with creative elements, such as a guitar played with a cello bow. Textural and complex, this music doesn't need language to be understood on an almost spiritual level. 'Sigur Rós and an orchestra is something that a lot of people have been waiting for – and actually, we've been waiting for as well,' says the band's bassist, Georg Holm. 'We've been waiting for the right opportunity and the right way to represent it.' In 2023, this long-held vision finally came to life – and what began as an experiment has bloomed into an ongoing tour around the world. Holm makes an important distinction between this show and other rock bands performing with orchestras. 'It was important for us that it wasn't a band with an orchestra, but rather the orchestral version of the band,' he says. 'We wanted to take everything we had, dismantle it and rebuild it into something different.' This version of the Sigur Rós live experience has more in common with a classical music recital than a rock show: a sit-down affair in some of the most beautiful concert venues in the world. Many of the band's songs had to be reworked to suit this new setting. Keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson, his wife Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir of the Icelandic band Amiina (also formerly a touring member of Sigur Rós), and British conductor Robert Ames composed the new arrangements. Some songs are only performed in part during the show, as the music all swirls together in this magical space. Loading Holm refers to this process as a reinvention of the music. 'Songs where I'd usually be playing very loud with a distortion pedal on the bass – that's not happening now,' Holm says. 'And the opposite as well – parts I'd usually play quietly, I now play loudly. [They are] subtle differences, but for us, it's very different.'
