Clarinetist Einar Jóhannesson and pianist Alessandra Pompili perform romantic works by the Schumanns, Clara and Robert, as well as their contemporary Norbert Bürgmuller.
Two songs arranged for instruments by Jón Hlöðver Áskelsson, titled Hamingja and Akureyri, will receive their world premieres. A brand-new piece, Bútasaumur, by John Speight will also be on the program.
Works for solo piano by Mendelssohn and Liszt will be performed, along with the lively piece Variations on Carnival in Venice by Paul Jeanjean.
Einar Jóhannesson was born in Reykjavík and studied clarinet at the Reykjavík College of Music under Gunnar Egilsson, later continuing at the Royal College of Music in London with Bernard Walton and John McCaw. He received the prestigious Frederick Thurston Prize in memory of the influential English clarinetist. In 1976, Einar won a competition in London to participate in Live Music Now, founded by Sir Yehudi Menuhin, giving young musicians the opportunity to perform across England. Three years later, he received the Sonning Prize in Denmark, awarded to outstanding young Nordic musicians. Icelandic composers have frequently written works for him, and he has performed worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician.
Einar was principal clarinetist of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra for over three decades, from 1980 to 2012. He is a founding member of the Reykjavík Wind Quintet and a member of the medieval vocal ensemble Voces Thules.
Alessandra Pompili was born in Rome and studied piano under the renowned Argentine pianist and composer Sergio Calligaris, graduating with distinction from the L’Aquila Music Academy. She then studied at the École Normale de Musique in Paris with Arnaldo Graziosi and Marcella Crudeli, also graduating with distinction. Alessandra later pursued art history and archaeology, completing a master’s degree at Manchester University and a PhD in art history and archaeology at the same institution.
She is currently resident pianist at the Dante Alighieri Society in Manchester and was recently appointed music advisor to the Mirak Chamber Music Society in Arlington, USA. She has performed widely in Italy, the UK, Hungary, Iceland, Germany, Poland, and the United States.