La Traviata á Hvolsvelli

 

Hoping that all my friends and relatives read English, I have decided to convert to that wonderful language. Hello America, Hello Hungary, England, Sweden, Denmark, wherever you are. Our family from USA came to visit last week. We had a wonderful time, I hope they did too. I showed them the Saga Center, Ghost Center and Elfs and Troll-Center. Everything is a Center nowadays. It gives me the feeling that I'm living in an important place. If I ever was in doubt, now I'm sure. Last Friday I got the honor of introducing a New Yorker to opera - in Hvolsvöllur, of all places. I believe it was the first opera-show in Hvolsvöllur ever. It was not a whole opera, but the most beautiful arias from Verdi´s La Traviata, involving a Ukrainian-Icelandic singer, a pianist who played like a whole orchestra and Guðrún Ásmundsdóttir as narrator. I believe we can thank Guðrún for bringing this wonderful performance to us. They came in company of a few other very capable people and got a little decorative help from the locals. It was the Ópera Skagafjarðar on tour. I don't know enough English words to describe this. Fascinating, ravishing... wonderful. Alexandra Chernyshova was the most perfect Violetta, flirted like the devil, sang like an angel and died gracefully. I understand she lives in Hofsós. Imagine that.