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EVE Online 10 year Anniversary Symphony
Iceland Symphony Orchestra brings the EVE Fanfest 2013 pre-show to Harpa

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra has added a special presentation to its list of special performances at the Harpa Convention Center. In celebration of the 10th year of EVE Online, the world-famous virtual universe developed by Reykjavik’s own CCP Games, the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra will recreate the harmonic music of EVE Online to start off the festivities for this year’s EVE Fanfest in April 2013. Watch the beauty of EVE on the big screen as the ensemble’s performance of the game’s soundtrack fills the concert hall. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime performance!

Jón Hallur Haraldsson aka RealX has been with CCP since the year 2000 and wrote the original Eve Music between 2002 and 2009.  Without degrading other parts of the game, the music has probably been the most defining element of the 10 year old MMO through the years. The original music has been described by some as sort of 80´s synth ambient music  - perhaps a fusion of Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis? Whoever got it right is perhaps not as important as the fact that the more than 10 year old music has now become somewhat a classic and even more so with the transcription for a symphony orchestra.  Players from all over the world have praised the music and asked for more time and time again – quite possibly in the very near future RealX will bring us more masterful compositions. He is still an active member of the music and overall audio for the game and has recently moved over to do some audio programming.

The Eve Symphony consists of some 10 famous Eve tracks - such as “Stellar Shadows” and “Surplus of Rare Artifacts” - arranged for a symphony orchestra by composer Kristján Guðjónsson.
Kristjáns approach to the music is very much to the point in that he manages to transfer each theme gently over to the orchestra such that players will recognise the music but at the same time receive all the wonders only a symphony orchestra can give.

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1950 and has distinguished itself as one of the leading Nordic orchestras through its acclaimed performances and recordings in various parts of the world. Many recordings for BIS, Chandos and Naxos have been performed by the orchestra as well, which have received some great critical acclaim.

Not only will this be the first time the Eve music is performed by an orchestra but it will also be the first time The Iceland Symphony Orchestra plays music from a video game.

The Conductor Guðni Franzson has been active in the music life as conductor, clarinet soloist, teacher of music, and composer of many different styles of music.  Guðni has appeared as a soloist throughout Europe and the Americas as well as the former Soviet Union and Japan.  He has written music for numerous theatre and dance productions, chamber music, music for children and music for unconventional instruments. He currently conducts a handful of orchestras on a regular basis and his colorful experience will be of tremendous help in bringing the Eve Symphony to life.