Beinta is perhaps the most famous historic woman of all on the Faroe Islands. She was born into an upper class family in the 18th century but ended her days in poverty, having had three disastrous marriages along the way, all of them with priests. Since her death in 1752, Beinta has been depicted as an evil woman causing the disasters that killed her husbands.
In the symphonic song cycle BEINTA by Anna Katrin Øssursdóttir Egilstrøð and Allan Gravgaard Madsen, the legends of Beinta is the starting point of an artistic examination of the complex opposites of the mind. The piece received critical acclaim from the Danish press at its premiere in 2016, and it was awarded by the Danish Art Foundation’ highest graduation the same year. At Nordic Music Days BEINTA receives it Faroese premiere 1 September performed by Anna Katrin Øssursdóttir Egilstrøð and The Faroese Symphony Orchestra directed by Bernharður Wilkinson.
At Nordic Music Days a number of house concerts will be taking place in private homes in different districts of Tórshavn.
In the home of Thora and Andres, Tomek Szczepaniak will perform the piece Lys 4 by Mads Emil Dreyer on 4 September. Lys 4 is a light piece for one performer controlling 12 light bulbs and a sine wave synthesizer.
The Faroese ensemble Aldubáran performs Hans-Henrik Nordstrøm’s piece Sjúrður for soprano and saxophone on 4 September.
The piece has found inspiration in an old myth about Sjúrður – a heroic figure found in many different ballads. Nordstrøm has used small fragments of the ballad Regin smiður, inspired by a fascinating recording of the entire 130 verse long ballad with singers and dancers from Sandøy in the Faroe Islands.
