Jón Hallur Stefánsson

– Mansöngvar – unplugged

Mansöngvar is an old Old Norse word for love poems – and love songs. It is also the title of Jón Hallur Stefánsson's double LP, released in 2025, which was named Singer-Songwriter Album of the Year by Morgunblaðið, Iceland's largest newspaper.

For this intimate, unplugged concert at Svanekegaarden, the piano takes centre stage. Jón performs a selection of his songs, singing and playing piano, accompanied by cellist Anja Zdyb Lillemæhlum. The songs are in Icelandic, but throughout the concert Jón Hallur will share stories about the lyrics and experiment a little more than usual with translations.

Jón Hallur, who lives in Svaneke, has his musical roots in folk, art rock and punk, as well as Reykjavík's underground music scene of the 1970s. He has also explored rock and pop, while his work as a writer and poet clearly shines through in his music. Writing about the songs on Mansöngvar, Arnar Eggert Thoroddsen of Morgunblaðið says:

“The lyrics are wonderful, as are the little glimpses of everyday life, and the music is beautifully crafted … This is singer-songwriter music led by Jón Hallur's gentle, warm and slightly rough voice. The songs are melodic and melancholic, yet far from ordinary … There is a distinctly Scandinavian depth to the sound, somehow, while the atmosphere also recalls American indie music from the 1990s. Jeff Mangum (Neutral Milk Hotel), Will Oldham and Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices). Tom Waits and Bob Dylan are not far away either.”

Copies of the double LP Mansöngvar will be available to purchase at the concert. On the album, Jón Hallur is accompanied by his brother Hermann on bass and guitar, his son Dagur on theremin, and an impressive line-up of musicians. These include former Sugar Cubes bassist Bragi Ólafsson, cellist Gyða Valtýsdóttir (Múm) and drummer Ólafur Björn Ólafsson (Sigur Rós and others), who also produced the album.

Listen and enjoy on YouTube
Listen to Mansöngvar

Price
All tickets: DKK 80
The price includes the booking fee.