Iceland's musical mouse goes global
Maxímús Músíkús, here pictured with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra lives in Harpa, Iceland's concert hall and has delighted Icelandic children in the past few years. Today he will present the world of classical music to children in New York. Mbl.is/ Árni Sæberg
Today, children around the world can experience Maximus Musicus, the Icelandic musical mouse at a New York premiere of Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra accompanied by the Orchestra of St.Luke. The performance, conducted by Karina Canellakis and narrated by the author Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir herself, is streamed live at 16.20 p.m Icelandic time (11.20 a.m New York time).
Written in 2008 by Hallfríður Ólafsdóttir, principal flautist of the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, "Maxi’s" adventures take him on a tour of the symphonic orchestra through their rehearsal of classic pieces by Beethoven and Ravel, as he leaps, scurries and climbs among the instruments.
The New York performance is, according to Ólafsdóttir, "A positive outcome of a total catastrophe." Following a bankruptcy by Maximus's publisher in the US, all copies of the book in English were going to be destroyed. Ólafsdóttir offered to pay the sending cost if she could find a recipient in the US and finally the copies found refuge with her acquaintances in New York in a garage. Next, Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsso, principal flautist at the Metropolitan opera in New York brought copies to charity foundation 92Y and the book spawned an education series, a project book on Iceland and finally, a concert.
The concert proved so popular that it immediately sold out so the foundation decided on a live stream of the performance for more children to enjoy.
For more information on Maximus Musicus see HERE.
