Duo Guðrún Jóhanna and Fran­cisco Javier – Sunday Clas­sics

The duo composed of husband-and-wife Spanish classical guitarist Francisco Javier Jáuregui and Icelandic mezzo-soprano Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir (Gudrun Olafsdottir) celebrates their quarter-of-a-century anniversary by offering a concert in Harpa‘s Norðurljós hall. Special guests will be guitarist Pétur Jónasson; singer and flautist Eyjólfur Eyjólfsson and the children of Gudrun and Javier: Eva Jáuregui and Leó Guðrúnarson Jáuregui.

The musicians will perform songs that hold a special place in their hearts – works they have presented in concerts across Europe, the United States and Africa. The programme features Javier‘s own arrangements of art songs and folk songs from Iceland, Ireland, the United States, Spain and Latin-America. The audience will also hear original songs for voice and guitar by Icelandic composers Haukur Tómasson and Hugi Guðmundsson as well as by the performers themselves. The concert concludes with the piece The Religion of Love, which Francisco Javier Jáuregui composed in memory of composer Sir John Tavener to a poem in Arabic by the Sufi mystic, poet and philosopher Ibn Arabi (XIII century). The text reflects the very spirit that has inspired the duo from the start, which is to discover and reveal the universal elements in music and poetry that connect us all, regardless of our origin, the times we live in, our religious beliefs (or lack thereof), our cultural background or the languages that we speak. The human heart is the same everywhere.

Duration: approx. one hour, without interval.

About the artists:
The duo composed of Icelandic mezzo-soprano Gudrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir and Spanish classical guitarist and composer Francisco Javier Jáuregui, is known for its strong connection with the audience, original repertoire, engaging performances, delicate sound, convincing storytelling and interesting introductions, which bring the audience deep into the world of the songs performed. Although their main emphasis, since their first concert in 2002, has been on Icelandic and Spanish repertoire, often rooted in folk music, they have also delved into music from other parts of the world, frequently performed in Javier’s own original arrangements or transcriptions from other sources for voice and guitar.

The duo has performed extensively across Europe in festivals and venues such as The Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, St James’s Palace, Hopetoun House in Scotland, the Reykjavik Arts Festival, Harpa Auditorium and the Icelandic National Opera in Iceland, the Palau de la Música de Valencia, Clásicos en Verano in Madrid, the Auditorio Príncipe Felipe in Oviedo and the Glinka Hall of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society in Russia.

Their interest in new music has led them to collaborate with composers such Agustín Castilla-Ávila, Hugi Gudmundsson, Karl Niklas Gustavsson, Marisa Manchado-Torres, Thóra Marteinsdóttir, Polina Medyulyanova, Alfonso Molina, Thorkell Sigurbjornsson, Haukur Tómasson, Eduardo Morales-Caso and David del Puerto.

The duo has recorded six albums: Atli Heimir Sveinsson – Songs for Voice and Guitar, Dýrin á Fróni, Mine is Yours – Icelandic and Spanish songs, English and Scottish Romantic Songs for voice and guitar, Secretos Quiero Descubrir and Með þér - David del Puerto Vocal Works. Mine is Yours and Secretos Quiero Descubrir include a number of Jáuregui’s own arrangements and compositions. The duo has also participated in numerous other albums and recorded for TV and radio in Iceland and Spain.

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptRaGyCAdlM&index=2&list=PLfpBf_18yTnQvVAUgKIpgDlAGA0YmQ8I0
Website: www.duoatlantico.com
The duo on Spotify

Promoter

Guðrún Jóhanna Ólafsdóttir