This October, a unique musical festival will take place in Reykjavík. The Echoes of the Ages - 40 Years of Violin Making is dedicated to the work of violin maker Hans Jóhannsson, who has made around 300 instruments in his 50-year career. The festival will occur primarily at Ásmundarsalur, an exhibition space next to Reykjavík's cathedral. The exhibition will include a range of instruments made by Jóhannsson from 1977 to the present. Visitors can also enjoy several solo and duo performances by musicians performing on Jóhannsson's instruments, demonstrations of experimental instruments, and a panel discussion on how contemporary technology can converge with age-old traditions of instrument making.
The festival will culminate in a performance at Reykjavík's Harpa Concert Hall on 15 October, where an ensemble will perform on 35 of Jóhannsson's instruments. The concert will include works by Richard Strauss, Maria Huld Markan, and Úlfur Hansson. Jóhannsson expressed his excitement and disbelief, stating, "The closing concert will be an extraordinary moment for me, after whittling away at some pieces of wood, to hear the result of all that toil in a performance of over 35 instruments."