In the Nordic lands, midsummer has an atmosphere that’s all its own. Seas are as blue as the skies, and elemental landscapes come alive with greenery and colourful flowers. And of course, the sun never quite sets; it shines at midnight, and casts an enchanted glow over the dreams and festivities of a culture as ancient as Europe itself.
Tonight the BBC Concert Orchestra, under its Finnish chief conductor Anna-Maria Helsing, comes together with the Iceland Philharmonic Choir (which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year) to bring some of that midsummer magic to the Aldeburgh Festival.
Classics by Mendelssohn, Grieg and Nielsen as well as Hugo Alfvén’s gloriously catchy Swedish Rhapsody sit alongside some wonderful discoveries, as our Icelandic guests spin a garland of song from Iceland, Denmark and Finland. Expect to be charmed, surprised and thoroughly entertained.
This very special edition of Friday Night Is Music Night will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Friday 20 June.
Iceland Philharmonic Choir
BBC Concert Orchestra
Anna-Maria Helsing conductor
How to get here
Parking is free at Snape Maltings.
Katch, the on-demand taxi-bus service, provides easy access to Snape Maltings, connecting it to the towns of Framlingham, Parham, Hacheston, Wickham Market, Wickham Market Railway Station at Campsea Ashe, and Tunstall. Click here to find out how to book and more.
The closest station is Saxmundham (4 miles) which is on the East Suffolk Ipswich on the Lowestoft train line. Wickham Market station (6 miles) is located in Campsea Ash on the same line. Visit the Greater Anglia website for up-to-date train times.
Plan your journey using Suffolk Onboard.