Sigurgeir Agnarsson: a new album celebrating the close ties of Icelandic musicians

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On 19 September 2025, Icelandic cellist Sigurgeir Agnarsson releases his solo recording debut celebrating the works by his compatriots, uncle and nephew composers Hafliði Hallgrímsson and Hugi Guðmundsson.

The album is entitled NÁND, which translates in English to ‘near’, ‘closeness’ or ’intimacy’. It comprises five solo cello works performed by Agnarsson, who is the principal cellist of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.

’NÁND has slowly been forming in my mind over many years,’ says Agnarsson. On the album, he comments, ’I knew from the very beginning that the record would centre around the music of my childhood friend Hugi and his uncle Hafliði, each at the forefront of their respective generation of Icelandic composers.’

Agnarsson spoke to The Strad about the state of music making at home and abroad from the Arctic island nation, as well as the versatility of Icelandic musicians.

How does it feel to record an album solely of Icelandic music - would you be able to define the character of the works by uncle and nephew composers Hafliði Hallgrímsson and Hugi Guðmundsson in a certain way? 

This album has been in the making for quite a long time, and I always knew that it would centre around Icelandic contemporary music in some form. It is truly a fantastic feeling finally seeing everything come together and that music I get to present is composed by people that are so close to me, as Hafliði and Hugi are.

In general I think that the music of Hafliði and Hugi share many common aspects, especially when it comes to how the music unfolds with a real sense of narrative that pulls you along. They achieve this in different ways. Hugi´s music on the record is a bit more minimalistic, while Hafliði’s music is often a bit more flourished, perhaps reflecting his background as a cellist himself and his close relationship to the instrument.  

What is the state of cello playing and composition in Iceland at the moment, particularly in your capacity as teacher at the Reykjavik College of Music? Currently you have Hildur Guðnadóttir and Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir (and probably many others) making their mark overseas - how does this affect music making in Iceland? 

I think it is fair to say that the Icelandic music scene has been enjoying a sort of a ’renaissance’ period for the last few years, with well deserved international spotlight on composers and performers alike.

Through my teaching at the Reykjavík College of Music I have been in a good position to witness the rising standard overall in Iceland with regards to music education and the industry as a whole. This is for sure a byproduct of the publicly funded music school system we have here in Iceland, giving almost every child the opportunity to study music. 

As a cellist I enjoy the fact that surprisingly many of our leading composers – Hafliði Hallgrímsson, Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Gyða Valtýsdóttir – are cellists themselves. And of course our rising pop-jazz superstar, singer-songwriter Laufey Lín, is a classically trained cellist (and a former pupil of mine). We are very proud of their success and it is an inspiration for the whole music community in Iceland.

Also, everyone is of course more connected through modern media and I think all of this goes to show that even though you are making music on a windy, rocky island in the middle of the North Atlantic, we truly can reach wider audiences across the globe.     

This is your first solo recording - how did you manage this task while also serving as principal cellist of Iceland Symphony Orchestra? 

One of the things that defines the music scene in Iceland is its intimacy due to its small size and also cross disciplinary involvement with regards to various music genres. So musicians tend not to look at themselves primarily as ’one type’ of musician, but rather more like a Swiss Army knife, having various tools for different tasks and applying them to various projects. So in that sense it felt quite natural to take this solo recording head on.

We took our time with the recordings, being careful not to rush things but rather to enjoy the process , giving me the freedom to work on it during periods when orchestra life was less demanding. The record has really come to light in a collaborative way and throughout I have been fortunate to receive support to see this project through, whether it has been from family, friends, colleagues or various foundations and grants.

NÁND is released as a limited edition double vinyl album, as well as on major streaming services, from 19 September 2025 on Crescendo.