Björk Orkestral


Björk Orkestral was an "unplugged" concert series by Icelandic musician Björk. Originally announced for the summer of 2020, all concert dates were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A four-part concert series was later announced for August 2020 at the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík, then rescheduled to October and November 2021 due to new restrictions against the pandemic by the Icelandic government. Each date featured different musicians, instrumentation and set lists and all four concerts were live streamed to raise money for Kvennaathvarfið, a women's shelter in Reykjavík. Over 100 Icelandic musicians joined Björk on stage across the four matinee performances, which were some of the first live performances with an audience by a major international singer since COVID-19 crippled the live music industry.
After the shows in Iceland, Björk embarked on a global tour of acoustic concerts, which saw her headline music festivals such as Bluedot Festival and Primavera Sound.

Background and concept

After touring her "theatrical" stage production, Cornucopia, in 2019, Björk announced a new concert series called Björk Orkestral in February 2020. The original dates were scheduled for summer 2020 in France, England, Russia, Finland and Germany, and the tour was billed as acoustic, strings-only shows in celebration of Björk's "orchestral arrangements of works so far". Shortly after these dates were announced, however, the coronavirus pandemic put a crippling halt on live concerts and Björk had to postpone the show until summer 2022.
Measures the Icelandic government took to contain the virus proved to be one of the most effective throughout the world, and by mid-May 2020 the country had slowed the spread of the coronavirus to 2 new cases a week, effectively eradicating COVID-19 from its shores.
Recognizing the unique position Iceland was in but also the devastating global economic impact COVID-19 left in its wake, along with the world-wide Black Lives Matter protests in response to the police murder of George Floyd in the United States, Björk decided it was the right time to bring her orchestral concerts to live audiences in her home country. "There are many musicians out of work right now... Many of them live by playing concerts because they no longer earn revenue from record sales." She credits her father's role in Iceland unions for her desire to fight for musician's wages. The proceeds from the concerts went to Kvennaathvarfið, a women's shelter dedicated to refugees in Iceland, though Björk revealed that due to the isolation experienced during lock down, Icelandic women in general are in need of Kvennaathvarfið's services. In addition to concert ticket sales, each matinee performances was followed by an evening of food and beverages with the proceeds also going to Kvennaathvarfið. In addition to the funds raised in Iceland, the concerts were live streamed throughout the world to raise money for charity with donations being sent to non-profit organizations in each country the shows are streamed in.
As for the concerts themselves, Björk has wanted to hold these acoustic-only shows since publishing her first collection of sheet music in 2017. 34 Scores for Piano, Organ, Harpsichord and Celeste features acoustic arrangements created in collaboration with her longtime accompanist Jónas Sen which covers her entire discography. Björk Orkestral saw Björk reunite with over 100 Icelandic musicians, Sen included, that have contributed to her studio albums and live concerts. Initially only 3 concerts were announced, but on 13 July 2020 a 4th show was added to the schedule. Each concert featured a different set of musicians and instruments and a unique set list.
The 11 October show featured the strings section of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Viktor Orri Árnason, in addition to the harpist Katie Buckley. Árnason replaces Bjarni Frimann Bjarnason who was originally announced as conductor. The performance drew the bulk of its material from Björk's albums, Post and Vespertine plus the 2000 soundtrack album Selmasongs.
The 24 October show featured the 50-person Hamrahlíð Choir conducted by Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir and musician Bergur Þórisson on organ and featured songs primarily from Björk's albums, Medúlla, Biophilia and Utopia. Both The Hamrahlíð Choir and Þórisson featured on the album Utopia and performed on the New York and EU dates of the Cornucopia tour.
The October 31 show featured the brass section of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra in addition to the flute septet Viibra. The members of Viibra played the flutes on Björk's 2017 album Utopia and officially formed as a group to tour with Björk throughout the Utopia and Cornucopia tours. In addition to brass and flutes, the night saw American-born harpist Katie Buckley return in addition to pianist and long-time collaborator Jónas Sen. Material was drawn from the albums Vespertine, Volta and Utopia.
These concerts were held in collaboration with Iceland Airwaves, RÚV, Harpa, Promote Iceland, and Icelandair.

Songs performed

During each concert in Iceland, Björk performed a different set of songs to fit the different musicians invited to perform with her.
For the touring shows, Björk performs with a 22 piece string orchestra, combining songs from the 4 original Reykjavík shows.

Tour dates

Date CityCountryVenuePlayersConductor
October 11ReykjavíkIcelandHarpaIceland Symphony Orchestra, Katie Buckley Viktor Orri Árnason
October 24ReykjavíkIcelandHarpaHamrahlíð Choir, Bergur Þórisson Bjarni Frímann Bjarnason Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir
October 31ReykjavíkIcelandHarpaIceland Symphony Orchestra, Viibra, Katie Buckley, Bergur Þórisson Björg Brjánsdóttir
November 15ReykjavíkIcelandHarpaIceland Symphony OrchestraViktor Orri Árnason

Date CityCountryVenuePlayersConductor
February 13MiamiUnited StatesAdrienne Arsht Center for the Performing ArtsThe Aym EnsembleBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
February 16MiamiUnited StatesAdrienne Arsht Center for the Performing ArtsThe Aym EnsembleBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
June 17BerlinGermanyWaldbühne Open AirBerlin Radio Symphony OrchestraBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
June 21ParisFranceLa Seine MusicalePasdeloup OrchestraBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
June 24ParisFranceLa Seine MusicalePasdeloup OrchestraBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
July 3MontreuxSwitzerlandMontreux Music & Convention CentreSinfonietta de LausanneBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
July 24CheshireEnglandJodrell Bank ObservatoryThe HalléBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
July 30TrondheimNorwayKristiansten FortressTrondheim SoloistsBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
August 3BergenNorwayBergenhus FestningenTrondheim SoloistsBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
November 5São PauloBrazilAnhembi Convention CenterFundação BachianaBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
November 9Buenos AiresArgentinaCostanera SurOrquesta Teatro ColónBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
November 13SantiagoChileParque Bicentenario de CerrillosFundación de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de ChileBjarni Frímann Bjarnason

Date CityCountryVenuePlayersConductor
March 20TokyoJapanTokyo Garden TheatreMuroya StringsBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
March 25KobeJapanWorld Memorial HallMuroya StringsBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
April 16IndioUnited StatesEmpire Polo ClubHollywood String EnsembleBjarni Frímann Bjarnason
April 23IndioUnited StatesEmpire Polo ClubHollywood String EnsembleBjarni Frímann Bjarnason

Festival performances
Cancelled shows
Reschedulations
The tour has been marred by repeated shows' rescheduling due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.