Three Anna Akhmatova Songs

Here are my three songs set to poems by Anna Akhmatova, the Russian poetess, one of the most important Russian poets of her time.

Anna Akhmatova was born in Odessa, Ukraine. She endured silencing, censorship, and persecution. Her first husband was murdered, her only son was imprisoned for ten years, and her third husband died in a concentration camp. But Stalin was said to fear Anna Akhmatova, because she could fill any auditorium when she advertised a poetry reading. Regína Stefnisdóttir translated the three poems into Icelandic. Bjarni Thor Kristinsson bass and Ástríður Alda Sigurðardóttir piano premiered Ekki land mitt (A Land Not Mine) at a concert in Harpa in Reykjavík on September 3, 2023. You may hear a short reference to Boris Godunov. This song and another two songs, Lokaskálin (The Last Toast) and Þrumur muntu heyra (You Will Hear Thunder), form the backbone of a short film entitled Three Basses and Anna Akhmatova featuring three Icelandic bass singers of international renown, Bjarni Thor Kristinsson, Kristinn Sigmundsson, and Viðar Gunnarsson. The film was premiered on Axess TV in Sweden 7 October 2025, was awarded first prize in the category of documentaries at the Premio Felix film festival in Milan 17-20 November 2025, and awaits its premiere on Icelandic State Television (RÚV). See trailer.

Here is the sheet music (Sibelius):

• Ekki land mitt (A Land Not Mine) — pdf
• Lokaskálin (The Last Toast) — pdf
• Þrumur muntu heyra (You Will Hear Thunder) — pdf

Read at the publisher