Jon Anderson and Todmobile Live at The Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavík, Iceland – 2013
Description
Jon Anderson and Todmobile – Live at Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland – 2013
Jon Anderson and Todmobile: Live at Harpa is a concert performance recorded on November 15, 2013, at Eldborg Hall inside the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in Reykjavík, Iceland. The concert featured Jon Anderson, co-founder and longtime lead vocalist of the English progressive rock band Yes, performing with Icelandic rock band Todmobile, accompanied by a 14-piece SinfoniaNord orchestral ensemble and the Icelandic chamber choir Hljómeyki. The appearance was part of Todmobile’s celebration of its 25th anniversary. (Wikipedia)
Background
Todmobile is an Icelandic pop and rock band formed in 1988, centered around musician, songwriter, guitarist, producer and arranger Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson. The group became one of Iceland’s established rock acts during the late 1980s and early 1990s, releasing its first album, Betra en nokkuð annað, in 1989 and its self-titled Todmobile album in 1990. The band subsequently developed a reputation for incorporating ambitious arrangements and orchestral elements into rock music. (Wikipedia)
Todmobile had already explored the combination of rock band and symphony orchestra before the Anderson collaboration. The group recorded and performed with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, resulting in the concert project Sinfónía, released in the early 2000s. (Wikipedia)
By 2013, Todmobile had been active for approximately 25 years. For its anniversary concert at Harpa, the group invited Jon Anderson as a special guest.
Jon Anderson and Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson
Jon Anderson and Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson had established a musical relationship several years before the Harpa performance. In an Icelandic interview published immediately before the concert, Þorvaldur said that he had met Anderson roughly six years earlier and that the two had worked together periodically since then. Their collaborations included the song “Wings of Heaven.” (visir.is)
Anderson was already one of the central figures in the history of progressive rock. As a founding member and signature vocalist of Yes, his distinctive high tenor was heard on many of the band’s best-known recordings, including material from The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Going for the One and 90125.
Outside Yes, Anderson pursued an extensive solo career and collaborated with a wide variety of musicians, most notably Greek composer and keyboardist Vangelis in the duo Jon and Vangelis.
The Reykjavík performance came during Anderson’s 2013 concert activity and is documented in his touring history as his November 15, 2013 Iceland appearance at Harpa’s Eldborg Hall, backed by Todmobile. (Wikipedia)
The Harpa Concert
The November 15 concert brought together several musical forces: Jon Anderson, Todmobile, SinfoniaNord and Hljómeyki.
Rather than simply reproducing the original Yes recordings, the concert presented the material within large-scale arrangements combining rock instrumentation, orchestral textures and choir.
SinfoniaNord confirms that Anderson’s Harpa project used a 14-player orchestral configuration. The organization has subsequently highlighted the Anderson collaboration among its significant rock-and-orchestra projects. (SinfoniaNord)
The program mixed music from Anderson’s career with Todmobile’s own Icelandic repertoire. Anderson appeared on several major Yes compositions as well as “State of Independence,” originally associated with his collaboration with Vangelis. (Setlist.fm)
Featured Performers
Jon Anderson – Lead vocals
Founding vocalist of Yes and internationally recognized progressive-rock singer and songwriter.
Þorvaldur Bjarni Þorvaldsson – Guitar, keyboards, arrangements and vocals
Founder and principal creative figure of Todmobile and a composer, arranger and producer. Þorvaldur was instrumental in developing the collaboration with Anderson.
Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson – Vocals
Todmobile vocalist during this period. Gunnlaugsson also represented Iceland at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest with “Ég á líf.” (Wikipedia)
Todmobile – Band
SinfoniaNord – Orchestra
A 14-member ensemble was used for the Anderson concert. (SinfoniaNord)
Hljómeyki – Choir
Icelandic chamber choir providing choral accompaniment to the expanded arrangements.
Concert Setlist
The documented setlist for the November 15, 2013 performance was: (Setlist.fm)
- Awaken – Yes
with Jon Anderson - Roundabout – Yes
with Jon Anderson - State of Independence – Jon and Vangelis
with Jon Anderson - Heart of the Sunrise – Yes
with Jon Anderson - Pöddulagið – Todmobile
- Lommér að sjá – Todmobile
- Eldlagið – Todmobile
- Hér og Nú – Todmobile
- Hafmey – Todmobile
- Stopp – Todmobile
- Brúðkaupslagið – Todmobile
- Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes
with Jon Anderson - Voodooman – Todmobile
“Awaken”
One of the most notable performances from the concert was “Awaken,” the large-scale Yes composition originally released on the band’s 1977 album Going for the One.
The Iceland performance expanded the piece through Todmobile’s rock instrumentation, orchestra and choir.
Anderson later singled out the performance himself, saying that the Icelandic rendition had deeply affected him and praising the musicians, singers, choir and orchestra involved. His official website subsequently featured video of the performance and described the concert as an opportunity to honor the music of Yes. (Jon Anderson)
SinfoniaNord has also continued to highlight the performance. In promotional material for the orchestra, Anderson recalled the Iceland collaboration and noted the particularly strong reaction he had received from fans to the version of “Awaken.” (SinfoniaNord)
Todmobile After the Concert
The relationship between Anderson and Todmobile did not end with the 2013 concert.
Todmobile’s 2014 album ** Úlfur ** included a guest appearance by Jon Anderson. The album also featured former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, further connecting the Icelandic group with major figures from the British progressive-rock movement. (Wikipedia)
Todmobile continued staging ambitious collaborative concerts at Harpa in later years, working with performers including Nik Kershaw, Midge Ure and Tony Hadley, while continuing its combination of rock music and orchestral arrangements. (Wikipedia)
Historical Significance
The November 15, 2013 Harpa concert represents an unusual intersection between British progressive rock and Icelandic rock, orchestral and choral traditions.
For Jon Anderson, it offered a setting in which some of the best-known music from his years with Yes could be reinterpreted outside the conventional Yes touring format.
For Todmobile, the appearance marked the band’s 25th anniversary while demonstrating the large-scale rock-and-orchestra approach that had become an important part of its musical identity.
The resulting performance—particularly “Awaken”—has continued to circulate among progressive-rock and Yes fans and remains one of the notable documented collaborations between Jon Anderson and Todmobile.
Recorded: November 15, 2013
Venue: Eldborg, Harpa Concert Hall
Location: Reykjavík, Iceland
Artists: Jon Anderson / Todmobile
Orchestra: SinfoniaNord – 14-player ensemble
Choir: Hljómeyki
Genre: Progressive rock / symphonic rock / Icelandic rock
Occasion: Todmobile 25th Anniversary Concert
Year: 2013
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