words by Patty Riek
photos by Jon Bauer
Sigur Rós and the Wordless Music Orchestra played a second concert to an adoring crowd amid the old world luxury of the Orpheum Theatre on November 17, 2025. Settling into crushed velvet seats with glass champagne flutes, the audience waited with anticipation as the fog machines wrought a hazy ambience enhanced by the calming low frequency music.
Opening with “Blóðberg,” the stage was enveloped in red lights suggesting a womblike scene, and thus part one of the evening began. The Sigur Rós oeuvre is a layered sonic exploration of the human condition. The Wordless Music Orchestra contributed a sound depth and luxury that few knew they were missing listening to Sigur Rós without the backing of an orchestra.
The melding of the two offered study in how contrasting elements can enrich one another. The deep base layers of the percussion, the stand up bass, and the electric bass juxtaposed with Jónsi Birgisson’s signature falsetto; the deliberate discordance of feedback and static against the melodiousness of the orchestra, the sharp ping from the xylophone contrasted with the rumble of the drums and resonance of the tuba all worked in unison.
Celebrating both the 2023 release of Atta, and the 20 years since the release of Takk…, the set list featured multiple selections from both albums as well as pieces from the rest of the Sigur Rós catalog. Because the songs are in Icelandic or Hopelandic/Vonlenska, most listeners respond to the raw emotional sensations.
Conductor Robert Ames deftly led the New York based orchestra (along with local musicians including Bay Area violinist Shaina Evoniuk of the Jazz Mafia collective) and seamlessly integrated their work with Sigur Rós. Seemingly devoid of ego, all musicians on stage operated in service to the collective spirit of the music. The mesmerizing ebb and flow of the bows, the diminutive lights on stage, the looping of Jónsi’s vocals, the the string rich orchestra playing “Skel,” Kjartan Sveinsson’s piano work on “Hoppípolla,” Ólafur Björn Ólafsson’s drum work, the orchestra’s rendition of Avalon – small, stellar pieces enriching the whole experience.
Augmenting the music, the light show relied on reds, oranges and ambers for warm moments contrasted with teals and exceptionally bright sections reflecting both the warmth and brutal harshness of life. The single white spotlight of conductor Robert Ames evoked a celestial connection.
Soaring and expansive, subtle and understated all at once, the 18 song set ended with an extended ovation – gratitude for the chance to experience a singular, sensual evening.
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