It is delightful to be in Iceland. I thought I would be lazier though, just taking it really easy, but now that I’m here, I’m unable to be the couch potato I wanted to be. Let’s say I’m a wannabe couch potato.
So what am I up to? First of all the newspaper that I worked for before the tour started has asked me to review some concerts. Tonight I’m going to see a premier of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne of Naxos and there are some other concerts ahead as well.
I’m also working on one of the tour songs that I feel could be a lot better on my part, Hope. All of our concerts are recorded and last night I asked Kevin, our front of house sound engineer, to send me a recording of our last performance of Hope, which was in Nimes if I’m not mistaken. I listened to it and liked some of what I did, but definitely not all. It is going to be so much better!
Finally, a few of my students have asked me for a lesson, and I met three of them today. One of them is the pilot I mentioned earlier. Another is a physician and the third is a soprano whom I am coaching. It sure is interesting to play Wagner for a change!
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October 4th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
every show has been recorded?!?
is this for practising and fine tuning your playing or is there going to be some live recordings released!?
i geuss a live album is coming out so i have no idea what is going on :s
October 4th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Can I be part of the classroom ?
How do they record and mix every show in a night ? That’s incredible. Do you think a live album (apart of the announced live sessions album) will be released ?
It must be difficult to transpose a kora sheet music into piano’s sheet music… good luck.
Cheers,
Romain
October 4th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Hi Jónas, regarding pieces with keyboard parts, do you usually work out all the details ahead of time, or only the basic structure/framework and then improvise the details in during the concerts? Which do you find more stressful to perform? A classical recital or a pop/rock concert? Thanks. Can’t wait to hear “Hope”!!
October 5th, 2007 at 4:03 am
I think it would be hard to slow down after so much traveling. Thanks for keeping up the blog!
(by the way, I work at a bed-and-breakfast in San Francisco….let me know if you need any pointers….)
Cheers!
October 5th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Wow, every show recorded!! Why not release them on CD?? Depeche Mode did it last year with their tour. Almost every concert was available and you could purchase only through their website. That would be so incredible! I was so lucky I attended the most Wonderful, gorgeous shows at the Guggenheim, Bilbao and the 2 concerts in Nimes (I’m still recovering…) and would LOVE to have them in albums!!! Please would you consider?? In any case whatever live album or DVD would calm our hunger!!
October 6th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Cool I’m glad you have some time to chill at home. Hope the concerts you go to are wonderful, I still say that Iceland has its own oveactive spirits that make it fertile for mindblowing music, and you prove that!
Also I have to say it would be cool to have you as a music teacher but I have a feeling you can be quite tough! Hope all is well.
October 8th, 2007 at 1:45 am
All the concerts being recorded huh? After listening to a lot of the audio of the Volta Tour i can tell you that the way Bjork sang/screamed: Damn colonists, Ignore their patronizing,Tear off their blindfold… in the Madrid concert, was just Amazing! it was something else! After that concert she never gave those sentence the same vibe. The peack of this song belongs to that concert in Madrid!
I highly recomend you listen to it if you have the chance.
Also, Sidasta Eg and the way you started playing the piano in Segovia, i guess that was there and then for the Luck of us who were there, same as for the special New York set list.
I am glad to hear the tour is expanding and will be hopefully coming back to Europe (not only the london gig in April).
Rest all you can and try not to stair at the wall to much.
Pedro