The Icelandic post-rock luminaries Sigur Rós will perform two special concerts in Tallinn next autumn. On September 19 and 20, in 2025, one of the most acclaimed groups of recent times will give two performances at the Alexela Concert Hall, presenting their latest studio album Átta together with the extended lineup of the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. These appearances are part of their newly announced EU/UK orchestral tour.
These two are the only appearances of Sigur Rós’ orchestral tour in the Baltics, for which a limited amount of tickets will be on sale via Piletilevi. Artist pre-sale starts on October 15, pre-sale for the Shiftworks and Piletilevi newsletter subscribers on October 16. General public sale starts on Friday, October 18 at 10 a.m.
Founded in 1994, Sigur Rós (meaning ‘Victory Rose’ and named after lead singer and co-founder Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson’s baby sister), are renowned for their unique ethereal sound with lush layers of slow-churning grandeur, and Jónsi’scharacteristic falsetto. They have released eight studio albums, including their breakthrough full-length Ágætis byrjun (1999), whch cheerleaders included both the music press tastemakers as well as Radiohead and David Bowie; ( ) (2002), Takk (2005) and Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (2008).
The band’s first new studio album in ten years, Átta (2023) is their most intimate and emotionally direct record to date., touching everything that has made Sigur Rós one of the most ambitious and acclaimed bands, with close to ten million albums sold, whilst signposting an exciting possibility for their future. On Átta, strings, keyboards and vocals swell to dramatic heights, while subtle melodies look inward for release. Átta prominently features the London Contemporary Orchestra and is mixed by Paul Corley (Oneohtrix Point Never, Tim Hecker), travelling between the familiar and the unknown, luxurious string cascades and silence, Jónsi’s high-flying falsetto and bittersweet introspections in made-up Vonlenska (Hopelandic) lingo.
Jónsi calls the album “heavy but hopeful” and admits it was written in the shadow of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, yet with rays of pure golden light in the darkness.
2025 will continue to be a special year for the band, with their seminal album Takk reaching its 20th anniversary.
Sigur Rós’ first and until now, their only performance in Estonia took place at the sold-out Rock Café in 2008.
Their two upcoming concerts at Alexela Concert Hall will be performed by the current band members Jón “Jónsi” Þór Birgisson (vocals, guitar), multi-intstrumentalist Kjartan “Kjarri” Sveinsson and bassist Georg “Goggi” Hólm, accompanied by a 41-piece extended ensemble of the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra (TCO).
TCO is a Grammy-winning collective, founded in 1993 by the conductor Tõnu Kaljuste. During the past three decades it has become one of Estonia’s signature orchestras and a welcome guest performer on numerous stages in Europe and beyond. TCO have gained recognition for its artistic concepts and mastery of interpretation. Their recordings, released often via the acclaimed ECM label, include the interpretation of Arvo Pärt’s Te Deum, which remained in the top ten of the global contemporary classical chart for a year.
Other orchestras the band will be collaborating include London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO), Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, Resound Collective, Brisbane Philharmonic and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. This tour will see Sigur Rós playing in some of the world’s most iconic orchestral venues that include London’s Royal Albert Hall, Rome’s Sala Santa Cecilia, Paris’ Salle Playel, Brussels’ Bozar and the Konzerthaus in Vienna.
Sigur Rós will perform with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra at the Alexela Concert Hall on September 19 and 20, 2025. The doors to the concerts open at 7 p.m. the first set lasts from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. and the second set from 9:20 p.m. to 10:20.p.m..
Sigur Rós has partnered with PLUS1 to support War Child. 1 euro from every ticket sold will help War Child to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of children affected by war.